One of the ancient Greek philosophers, Protagoras, is mostly remembered for one idea, even though he practiced “sophistry” for forty years. That idea has become the de facto motto of too many people today and has caused much misery in our world. Simply stated, Protagoras posited that “Man is the measure of all things”.
What this has been taken to mean is that there is no absolute truth, that man (pardon the political incorrectness!) only knows what he has experienced; hence, truth is what he perceives it to be. There can be no absolute truth because that is outside the purview of man.
Many Americans rightly believe that the Enlightenment thinkers influenced the creators of our form of government, and they would be correct. But these Enlightenment minds that produced the ideas of individual rights (among others) also promulgated the idea of man being the arbiter of his own moral feelings.
Thomas Hobbes, an English philosopher who predated the Enlightenment period, claimed that morality was a societal compact, created to be able to live in “harmony” with other men. A Scottish thinker, David Hume, denied that there was a revealed moral code outside of man’s existence; all that man knows comes from his own perception. Moral reasoning comes from what he sees and what seems best to work for himself.
Over on the French side of the Channel, Montesquieu wrote about cultural relativism. In his world, morality was determined by the prevailing cultural in which a man found himself. Therefore, even cannibalism was acceptable, as was incest between “consenting” adults.
Rousseau wrote “All that I feel to be right is right. All that I feel to be wrong is wrong”. That seems to be moral relativism on steroids. In his view, morality is tied up in his own feelings, not in some revealed text or from a heavenly vision. He believed each person had a perfect conscience, but that conscience was not listened to. Rousseau’s beliefs led to each man being his own god.
Probably you are rolling your eyes now by this rather superficial look at some long dead philosophers and wondering what point is being made. Just look around at your world and reflect on the actions taken, words spoken and attitudes exhibited. It seems to me that in our nation, in our world, most people believe that “man is the measure of all things”, that there is no one common moral code. Each human makes up his own moral standards and applies those to each situation he sees.
Some examples from real life illustrate this. A twenty dollar bill was found in the entrance to Wal-Mart. What happened to it? In this instance, the finder slipped it into her own wallet. Right or wrong? That money was not hers. It could have been lost by someone who needed it to pay for part of that week’s groceries. Yet, the finder kept it.
Language is a good indicator of a moral code. Among the “boys”, crude and profane words are bandied about easily, but in church, nary a slip from the same lips.
Politics are a good barometer of moral codes being made up by the individual.
Positions taken by elected officials, even on issues of morality, shift with the prevailing political winds. Perhaps the most prominent of these was gay marriage. Barack Obama, Bill Clinton and Hillary Clinton were on record as believing that marriage was between a man and a woman. When President, Bill Clinton even signed the “Defense of Marriage Act.” Yet on such a controversial topic, each of these changed their minds, with the explanation that thinking had “evolved”. If right and wrong are absolute, morality cannot evolve!
What does this mean in real life? If you believe that “man is the measure of all things”, then each person has the right and privilege to decide his or her own standard of right or wrong. Only social norms or fear of punishment would keep people from doing exactly what they wanted to, without regard for the welfare of others.
We all know what the answer to Protagoras and other philosophers is — there is a universal moral code. That code has been with us since man first acknowledged the supremacy of God, a Supreme Being that created the earth, mankind included, and expected those made in His image to live according to that code.
In the Old Testament, the Ten Commandments laid out the boundaries of actions for God’s people. Although we Christians live under the New Testament, those rules still are a good starting point for accepting high moral standards, since Jesus said he came not to destroy the law of the Old Testament, but to fulfill it. Thus the Ten Commandments would ensure proper actions and attitudes toward our fellow humans. The teachings of Jesus expand upon what is moral behavior. Even Thomas Jefferson, a deist who did not accept the divinity of Christ, still claimed that following the precepts of Jesus would be a good way to live.
Becoming a “good” person is more than living up to your own ideas of right and wrong. Only by claiming God’s standards for ourselves can we attain the righteous status that all humans should desire for themselves.
We sometimes despair for our nation when we read the headlines about the crimes and conflicts in America. Much of this happens because people believe and put into action the idea that “what I feel is right is right.” There can be no ultimate peace when each of us decides our own moral codes. We must turn back to the time honored, God-given and proven standard of living according to His perfect way.