Varieties of Morality

The ordinary use of the term 'Morality' in contemporary public discourse would suggest its univocality, but today's political struggles testify to the contrary. The sides in those conflicts represent two prevalent Moral principles, 'Obey the Scriptures' and 'Do Unto Others as You Would Have Them Do Unto You'. Now, there are some who might argue that these two amount to the same thing, but advocates on both sides would respond that that would gloss over their crucial, irreconcilable distinction--the source of the former is God, while the latter makes humans the measure of all Moral things. Furthermore, anyone familiar with the History of Ethics can discern the influence of other Philosophical theories on everday affairs. The Utilitarian 'Greatest Happiness for the Greatest Number' precept is probably the guiding principle behind Economic policy. Notions such as 'It is the thought that counts' and 'What if everybody were to do that?' are derived from Kantianism. And, 'Act in moderation' comes from Aristotle. Also, the Ethical theory of the latter, traditionally classified as 'Eudaemonism', i. e. because it recognizes Happiness as the highest principle, is one of several that can be generalized as 'self-interest' doctrines, including 'Hedonism' and 'Egoism'. That there is little common contemporary recognition that the latter constitute legitimate Theories, is perhaps today's single greatest Moral problem. For, with the U. S. Constitution guaranteeing 'The Pursuit of Happiness', but the latter not recognized as a Moral principle, the main contemporary schism is not that between 'Religion' and 'Secularism', nor that between everyday Morality and Philosophical Ethics, but that between the Politico-Economic and the Moral spheres.