And whereas this House desires to obtain a full knowledge of all the facts which go to establish whether the particular spot of soil which the blood of our citizens was so shed was, or was not, our own soil.
Abraham LincolnRead
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
What this quote means
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.
Themes
MoralityObjectiveStandardJudgmentDivineTruth
In practice
Example use cases
In a college ethics class discussing moral philosophy.
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