Morality and Religion (Leaving Cert Religious Education): Revision Notes
Morality Since the Enlightenment
Introduction
The Enlightenment period (1700-1800s) marked a significant turning point in how society viewed moral issues. During this era, practices that we now consider deeply immoral were widely accepted as normal parts of life.
The transformation of moral thinking didn't happen overnight. While the Enlightenment planted the seeds of change, it took centuries for these moral shifts to fully take hold in society.
Three key areas where moral understanding has dramatically shifted since the Enlightenment are:
- The morality of slavery
- The morality of war
- The morality of capital punishment
Human rights developments have played a crucial role in driving these moral transformations. Each of these areas began to change during the Enlightenment itself, though they were still commonplace and considered acceptable practices at that time.
Morality of war
Background and early changes
War has always been part of human history, but attitudes towards its morality have undergone significant transformation. During the Enlightenment, many philosophers began questioning whether war was morally justified, though it remained very common and widely accepted until the end of the 1940s.
Key moments of change
First World War (1914-1918)
The First World War represented a crucial turning point in how people viewed the morality of warfare:
Historical Example: The "War to End All Wars"
Before WWI, young boys as young as 13 pretended to be adults to have the "honour" of fighting for "God and Country." War was romanticised and glorified.
However, the brutal reality changed everything:
- Massive casualties: Approximately 16.5 million people died
- Tragic irony: It earned the title "the war to end all wars"
- Shifted perception: The war's barbaric nature made many question whether war could ever be ethical
- Changed perceptions: The war's enormous scale of destruction challenged traditional views of warfare as honourable
- Brutal reality: Made many people question whether war should ever be allowed to happen again and whether it was truly an ethical way to resolve conflicts
Second World War (1939-1945)
The Second World War further reinforced changing attitudes about warfare:
- Even greater loss of life: Between 62.4 and 78.4 million people died worldwide
- Moral complexity: This was seen as a "just war" because it was fought to conquer evil, with mass warfare viewed as the only solution and last resort
- Continued questioning: Despite being necessary to stop greater evil, the enormous loss of life and destruction convinced many that war should be avoided at all costs
Development of nuclear weapons
The creation and use of weapons of mass destruction (WMDs) fundamentally changed global attitudes towards war:
Nuclear Weapons Changed Everything
Nuclear weapons made it clear that war had become an evil in itself. The concept of Mutually Assured Destruction (MAD) meant that nuclear war would destroy the world as we know it forever.
- Unprecedented destructive power: Nuclear weapons represented a new level of potential destruction
- Cuban Missile Crisis example: When the USA discovered Soviet WMDs in Cuba, both superpowers came very close to nuclear war, but "cooler heads prevailed" because people believed war was no longer ethical
Rise of peaceful alternatives
Gandhi's philosophy of non-violence
With war no longer considered ethical, the world turned to peaceful methods of resolving conflicts:
Gandhi's Revolutionary Approach: Satyagraha
Gandhi developed Satyagraha, meaning "truth force" - a completely non-violent philosophy that helped liberate India from British occupation in the early 20th Century.
Gandhi explained: "Satyagraha is a weapon of the strong. It allows no violence under any circumstance whatsoever, and it always insists on the truth. The essence of non-violent technique is that it seeks to liquidate antagonisms but not the antagonist... the goal is to convert one's opponents not to kill them."
Global impact of peaceful protest
Gandhi's ideas had far-reaching consequences across the world:
- Civil Rights movements: Inspired Martin Luther King's Civil Rights movement in the United States
- Women's Liberation movement: Influenced the fight for women's rights
- Northern Ireland: Applied to the Civil Rights movement in the late 1960s
- New moral standard: People recognised that through peaceful means, change could come and conflicts could end - this became seen as the ethical, moral and right way to resolve disputes
Morality of slavery
Background during the Enlightenment
Slavery was a normal part of everyday life during the Enlightenment period (17th-18th centuries). Only in the last two centuries has it become illegal and widely recognised as immoral or unethical.
Key figures in abolition
William Wilberforce
Wilberforce played a pivotal role in changing attitudes towards slavery:
Key Figure: William Wilberforce's Journey
Background and transformation:
- Political career: Became MP for Hull in 1780, later representing Yorkshire
- Religious conversion: His life changed completely when he became an evangelical Christian in 1790 and joined the Clapham Sect
- Social reform focus: His Christian faith motivated him to work for social reform, particularly improving factory conditions in Britain
- Influence: Thomas Clarkson, an abolitionist, had enormous influence on Wilberforce
Campaign against slavery
Wilberforce led a sustained campaign against the slave trade, challenging a system where British ships carried enslaved Africans in terrible conditions to the West Indies to be bought and sold as goods.
The Long Fight for Abolition
For 18 years, Wilberforce regularly introduced anti-slavery motions in parliament. The Clapham Sect and other abolitionists raised public awareness through pamphlets, books, rallies and petitions, gradually building the social pressure needed for change.
Major milestones in abolition
British Empire
The British abolition of slavery happened in stages:
- 1807: The slave trade was finally abolished, though this didn't free existing slaves
- 1833: An act was passed giving freedom to all slaves in the British Empire
- Wilberforce's death: He retired from politics in 1825 and died on 29 July 1833, just three days after the act to free slaves passed through the House of Commons
American Civil War (1861-1865)
Despite abolition in the British Empire, slavery remained strong in America:
Historical Example: American Civil War (1861-1865)
The conflict:
- Purpose: Could be described as a war fought to end slavery, or more accurately, to prevent it spreading to more parts of the United States
- North vs South: The anti-slavery North and pro-slavery South fought over this principle
- Leadership: Abraham Lincoln as president helped end slavery with his "Emancipation Proclamation" which freed all enslaved people
- Outcome: The North eventually emerged victorious
Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR)
The UDHR represented another crucial moment in global ethics around slavery:
- Leadership: Developed under the supervision of Eleanor Roosevelt, who had been "First Lady" in the United States from 1933-1945
- Scope: The United Nations created a list of 30 human rights declared to be universal, applying to all humans in all circumstances
- Impact on slavery: The right to live a life of dignity and quality, coupled with explicitly outlawing slavery, made it impossible in UN ethics
- Global effect: Most countries have banned any form of slavery with severe criminal penalties
Contemporary slavery issues
Unfortunately, despite the UDHR and legal prohibitions, slavery continues today:
Modern Slavery Crisis
Despite legal prohibitions worldwide, an estimated 45 million people are enslaved in some form today. This includes child labour, forced labour, child soldiers, prostitution, and people working in pornography.
People are forced into these situations through imprisonment, violence, psychological abuse and/or economic necessity. Slavery remains profitable, and others benefit from cheaper goods created through this forced labour.
The solution requires more conscientious and ethical consumers to end this cruelty, though change won't be easy.
Remember!
Key Points to Remember:
-
Three key moral areas changed since the Enlightenment: war, slavery, and capital punishment - all were normal during 1700-1800s but are now widely condemned
-
War morality shifted dramatically after WWI and WWII: massive casualties (16.5 million in WWI, 62-78 million in WWII) made people question whether war could ever be ethical
-
Nuclear weapons made war unthinkable: the threat of mutually assured destruction meant war could destroy the world, leading to peaceful alternatives like Gandhi's Satyagraha
-
William Wilberforce was crucial to ending slavery: his 18-year parliamentary campaign led to abolition of slave trade (1807) and slavery itself (1833) in the British Empire
-
Modern slavery still exists despite legal prohibitions: an estimated 45 million people remain enslaved today, requiring continued ethical awareness and action