Filed under: life
The Gov. Spitzer story has caused me to think again on the modern day person’s ability to discern between absolute Right and absolute Wrong.
In pop culture any form of critique on another human is judgment, and so it goes that, in the minds of otherwise well-intentioned people, “judging” someone (even oneself) is inherently wrong.
The problem with this kind of thinking is that it cancels itself out: I can tell you (read: judge you) as being wrong when you are labeling (judging) someone else as being wrong.
Compounding the illogic is the question of where the concept of wrong and right come from. I think a lot of people would say that wrong or right are relative to your situation or how you feel. Emotions rule the day.
But the example Ravi Zacharius often gives is relevant to cite here: The person who says “There are no absolute truths” is stuck in a cycle of illogic. If they are right, then the absence of absolute truth would in fact be an absolute truth. And so goes the person who judges another for judging yet another person’s behavior as wrong.The real question is: If relativism is really the systemic heartbeat of pop culture morality, how can there even be a Right or Wrong at all?
Application is ugly. I’ve had this debate with several Humanists, and whenever their logic is brought to fruition – to its fullest potential, the debate turns nasty. Here’s why: The relativists of today would have to judge themselves and thus remain silent, and not stop or condemn the death camps of the Nazi’s. After all, who are we to judge?
On the other hand, there is genuine concern and outrage being dealt on issues like Darfur, war (in general), environmental issues, and the role/size of government. “Right” and “Wrong” are being bandied about as though they had some root that everyone knows about.
Somehow, some way this conversation has to become common. Otherwise the “do what feels right” line of thinking will play out to a nasty end result. There are absolutes, this much we know by elementary logic. Determining what these absolutes are, and where they come from will probably make some uncomfortable, but I have to believe this is a necessity.
