The Relative Nature of Things

The concepts of good and bad, right and wrong take form within us as we grow up. The experiences that we encounter, the environment that we live in as well as the people who are around us contribute to the shaping of what we deem is good and bad, right and wrong. A tribesman born into a society that practises cannibalism will grow up thinking that the practice is perfectly acceptable. It therefore falls within the boundaries of what he deems good. Another person who grows up in the modern civilised world is unlikely to subscribe to the notion of cannibalism as benign social behaviour. This individual has a different set of definitions for good and bad.

An action, event or entity without an observer capable of philosophical thought is neither good nor bad. The philosophical observer labels the item in view, assigning the tag of 'good' or 'bad' to the observed based on his own set of values and markers. On a social level, the value system is generally common across individuals. As a result, the definitions of good and bad are also fairly similar since they usually extend from the individual's value system. The individual's value system has a strong effect on his thoughts and behaviour. He makes decisions based on his own ideas of right and wrong, good or bad. His thoughts run along the markers that arise from his value system. He performs actions based on his ideas and thoughts.

A tribesman would not fit well into our civilisation because his value system is different from ours. Consequently, his actions are likely deviate from our social norm and therefore be unacceptable to us. For example, if he breaks into a mortuary and starts eating the flesh of the bodies stored there, our immediate reaction would be that of disgust and fear. The tribesman, on the other hand, may chastise us for the apparent wastage of food when he sees us burying and cremating our dead! From our perspective, he is wrong. From his view-point, we are incorrect.

The value system of an individual changes over time as he is exposed to different influences in his life. These changes propagate to his thoughts and ideas, and eventually his actions and behaviour. The value system of a society or community is the amalgamation of the value systems of the individuals constituting the groups. As the individual value systems change, the overall social value system changes as well. For example, walking around almost-nude on a beach, barely covered by tiny slips of cloth (read: bikinis and g-strings) would have been completely unacceptable behaviour in the 18th century in England. In present day England, anyone who condemns such behaviour would be called a prude.

The world today is fraught with conflicts that result from intolerance and a general lack of awareness of the fact that different social groups (e.g. communities and countries) have different practices and beliefs that come from their own value systems and beliefs. Each group, through the multitude of influences that have shaped its value system, has its own collective notion of good and bad, right and wrong. When groups are unyielding in their beliefs, tension increases and often leads to conflicts and bloodshed. In order to reduce such conflicts (and the resultant pain and unhappiness), it is crucial for all to gain awareness and understanding of the concepts stated above so that we may grow to become more tolerant and open-minded. Then and only then can we all move towards a peaceful co-existence in this world.