The fine line between morality and the law

If one eats meat, in a place where most abstain from eating it, would that person be subject to punishment? And if one participates in a protest for more democratic space, which has been banned by the Government, is that person justified in their cause? Are the police justified in killing in the commission of a crime in order to protect innocent lives, and do many consider taking another life no matter what the situation is a bad thing?

The questions above test our core values ​​and principles, as what others consider immoral is legal under the laws of the land and vice versa.

Thus creating a fine line between Morality and Law, sometimes so thin that it is indistinguishable from the other, some even consider them interdependent. But in various circumstances, the line is clear and each is governed by its own values ​​and principles.

According to the Collins Dictionary, morality is the belief that one behavior is right and acceptable and that the other behavior is wrong. In broader terms, it is a system of principles and values ​​related to people’s behavior, which is generally accepted by society or by a particular group of people.

So if one eats meat in a place where the majority abstain because of their beliefs and principles, it will be considered immoral. Another example is if one engages in premarital sex, in a society where marriage before sex is taboo, then it is also immoral.

By committing such taboos, we can be punished, is there any basis to punish those who have gone against the accepted norms established by society? To be fair, these are principles that have guided our society even before our grandparents were born and served as a yardstick for generations.

According to Wikipedia, law is a system of rules that are created and enforced through social or governmental institutions to regulate behavior or, more broadly, a system that regulates and ensures that individuals or the community adhere to the law. will of the state.

Therefore, if one participates in an illegal protest, it does not matter how accurate the reasons are or how they align with their innate beliefs and principles, for example, by agitating for more democratic space in a country. They will face the full validity of the law enshrined in the constitution and applied by the pertinent institutions.

But if one eats meat in a society where it is taboo, the person will be wrong according to the society, but legally he will have the right to the law or have premarital sex, the situation will remain the same.

In some cases, what is morally wrong in society may also be illegal, for example in Islamic societies getting involved in premarital or extramarital affairs is not only a sin, but it is also illegal with a punishment imposed according to the Qur’an. . In such societies, it is difficult to distinguish between Law and Morality, since our Moral Compass forms the basis for creating Laws that govern us and that the Institutions enforce.

Some have gone further by stating that most of the laws passed are guided by our moral value, which is true, for example, what society has generally considered wrong, for example, public nudity can be promulgated and passed into law that prohibits such behavior with consequences if violated. .

In such a scenario, there is no line to distinguish between Law and Morality, since they are interdependent and one serves as the basis in the formation of the other. Good examples are the countries with state religion, for example, Islamic countries like Iran, Pakistan, where Sharia law based on the Qur’an forms the basis of the laws enacted by the government.

But in modern Western democratic countries, there is a clear line between law and morality and they are independent of each other. For example, abortion is taboo in many societies and laws have been enacted outlawing it. In the West, the Rationality of the Law prevails and the mother has the right to maintain or interrupt the pregnancy. Therefore, the rights of an individual are emphasized rather than in the collective conscience of the Society.

As the saying goes, another man’s flesh is another man’s poison, in Law and Morality what is considered morally wrong in one society is legally correct in another and vice versa. The fine line is what prevents them from clashing with each other on issues of values ​​and principles and ensuring a somewhat balanced society guided by the rule of law.