All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights.
Eleanor RooseveltRead
The whole meaning of morality is a rule that we ought to obey whether we like it or not. If so, then the idea of creating a morality we like better is incoherent. Moreover, it would seem that until we had created our new morality, we would have no standard by which to criticize God. Since we have not yet created one, the standard by which we judge Him must be the very standard that He gave us. If it is good enough to judge Him by, then why do we need a new one?
Interpretation
Morality is an absolute standard that should be followed, regardless of personal preference.
In this quote, J. Budziszewski argues that true morality exists as an objective standard that must be adhered to, even when it is contrary to personal desires. He suggests that attempting to create a new morality that we prefer is contradictory and implies that the existing moral framework, which is divinely established, is sufficient for judgment and critique.
In practice
In a college ethics class discussing moral philosophy.
All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights.
There are the stars--doing their old, old crisscross journeys in the sky. Scholars haven't settled the matter yet, but they seem to think there are no living beings out there. Just chalk... or fire. Only this one is straining away, straining away all the time to make something of itself. Strain's so bad that every sixteen hours everybody lies down and gets a rest.
I think you have to remember that Americans saw their purpose as so innately good that they could excuse the pain they would inflict on others to carry out those purposes. Because the purposes were so good, they would justify this pain we were inflicting on other people.
A system of limitless individual choices, with respect to communications, is not necessarily in the interest of citizenship and self-government.
If there is any God, there is only one way to please him, and that is by a conscientious discharge of your obligations to your fellow men.
The case against the notion of historical objectivity is like the case against international law, or international morality; that it does not exist.
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