Should morality be universal or flexible depending on culture?
By LooeyVille
@LooeyVille (50)
United States
October 12, 2025 10:39am CST
This question ought to open up a can of worms.
It's sort of like when I asked whether "right" and "wrong" were subjective or universal standards.
If in the USA it's the "norm" to have one wife but in Saudi Arabia it's okay to have 3 wives, is Saudi Arabia "wrong" or is it a cultural thing?
What is morality anyway? Well, the internet gives a lengthy definition, which I quote here, using appropriate citation, "Morality encompasses the categorization of intentions, decisions, and actions into those deemed proper or right and those considered improper or wrong. It can derive from various sources, including cultural norms, religious beliefs, and philosophical principles. Morality is often synonymous with concepts like "goodness," "appropriateness," and "rightness". (Wikipedia)
So I ask you, is morality universal or flexible/situational/subjective depending upon the culture?
7 people like this
6 responses
@Deepizzaguy (115052)
• Lake Charles, Louisiana
13 Oct
In my view morality should be flexible since I use the saying "Different strokes for different folks."
2 people like this
@LindaOHio (203277)
• United States
12 Oct
To me, morality is based on what religion you follow.
2 people like this
@RebeccasFarm (93686)
• Arvada, Colorado
13 Oct
This boils down to having a conscience..in my opinion
There is a great lack of conscience in people, and it matters not where they originate from and I am referring to cultures, all of them.
Evil vs good simply.
Cultures are different yes, but good people know right from wrong, bad people might know right from wrong but don't care to know even if they do. There lies the morality..some have none, zero, zilch.
Man has a spirit built in to him..spirituality should be existing go give way to goodness.
But it doesn't always.
Blah blah..I could go on forever haha ...
1 person likes this
@xFiacre (14481)
• Ireland
12 Oct
@looeyville Some cultures tell us that female circumcision and forced marriage of minors is the right thing to do and people from that culture ought to be allowed to act in that way when they move to another country. No. Some things need to be universally outlawed even if they are “culturally acceptable”.
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