Why do some people lack morals?

[lucky_sharm]

This is just something that I wonder about sometimes. Are people just born that way? Is it because parents neglect to teach their children morals? Maybe some people just don't care about morals? Are there more reasons for lacking morals besides these?

 

[DefunctTheory]

Are you talking about psychopaths, who are born bastards, or just general pricks?

 

[Zyst]

It's mostly not a lack of morals, what you see the most is a lack of empathy. What do I mean? What I mean is that you just don't care for other people, and you see for yourself first. That just gives off the idea that you have no morals, when it's most likely not true.

 

[lucky_sharm]

This is just something that I wonder about sometimes. Are people just born that way? Is it because parents neglect to teach their children morals? Maybe some people just don't care about morals? Are there more reasons for lacking morals besides these?

It's a number of reasons. Where they grew up, childhood experiences, desires...

Everyones different, and how you define morals will vary from person to person. So someone who you think has no morals may actually have morals, they're just different from yours.

I'm not really judging people, just want to see how people answer this thead.

That is one way to look at it, though.

 

[Salty Weasel]

Well I personally don't believe in morals or right and wrong and what not, but I still live like they exist. I don't believe in them because I"m a nihilist, but I wasn't born a nihilist so no people aren't born without morals(except sociopaths)

 

[Krythe]

Morality is subjective from place to place, though there are basic archetypes that are independent of culture.

Examples:
+ Don't kill other human beings.
That's part of what "Hell Week" in the military is for - teaching you to kill other human beings and that it's necessary for some larger goal.

+ Hindsight Bias. Things seem obvious once we already "know" they're true.
"I always thought those two weren't right for each other." - "Fucking liar, you were as clueless as the rest of us."
(Think about this one if someone does something you "know" is wrong - it's one of the factors which makes our species judgemental)

Edit: If you wanna test this and are an IRL Troll like me, give above conversation about a couple that actually hasn't broken up and watch how everyone tries to avoid looking suprised.

+ Humans that are genetically related to us take priority.

These aren't absolutes, obviously. You can be selectively conditioned against most human psychological syntax (the single largest employer of psychologists worldwide is the US military) - and people born without a moral compass at all are referred to as "sociopaths" or "psychopaths"

 

[Bon_Clay]

Well yes there are psychopaths/sociopaths, but irl these are rare as hell and if anyone ever claims to be one you could bet your life they are most certainly not one. But set morals being necessary to not be a dick is wrong. Zyst is right that empathy is very important. If you can't feel bad about things going bad for other people then you're most likely going to come off as a dick. But generally most people aren't completely unable to feel empathy (which would be a sociopath), though I assume the natural levels vary person to person. So either being taught to listen to this feeling as a kid, or by having negative experiences in life that force you to reconsider how you treat other people would probably help.

 

[Jaranja]

This is just something that I wonder about sometimes. Are people just born that way? Is it because parents neglect to teach their children morals? Maybe some people just don't care about morals? Are there more reasons for lacking morals besides these?

It's a number of reasons. Where they grew up, childhood experiences, desires...

Everyones different, and how you define morals will vary from person to person. So someone who you think has no morals may actually have morals, they're just different from yours.

Is it time for me to finally one-up Aylaine?! :O!

Here's something you'll like, OP:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kohlberg's_stages_of_moral_development

 

[The Austin]

Because Mr Burke offered a better reward Lucas Simms.

THINK OF THE CHILDREN!

OP: Because some people don't believe in the same morals as others. Sad in some cases, wonderful in others.

 

[emeraldrafael]

Just becuase they dont have it, doesnt mean its bad. Morals are all different by different people. SOme people think its oka for a man to hit a woman. If you go down to where they live, it might be the whole town/city/area/etc. THen you;re weird if you think its wrong.

So its all what the family and/or society deems important enough to teach.

 

[Fanta Grape]

Here's my theory. In this modern day society, we're constantly telling kids what's right and wrong. You can't do this, you can do that, you mustn't do this, you mustn't do that. And for the most part, it generally works. The children understand that sharing is caring, hurting people is bad, and everything else you'd hear on Saturday morning cartoons from the eighties. But the problem is that we don't let them think about it. We don't give them a morally ambiguous fairy tale and let them decide who the goody and the baddy is, we tell them. To make it clear though, I don't have a problem with this. Sure, it makes us all conforming, gregarious sheep who can't make tough decisions, but we certainly develop a general comprehension of ethics a lot earlier on in our lives than what would naturally occur. It just waters down any real thought process as to why we believe our morals and because of that, they get very weak. That's my theory, anyway.

 

[Rubixnoob]

Nature vs nurture, is this where were going here? I suppose when it comes to morals, it probably is mostly due to your own experiences. Unfortunately everyones is different, I suppose it about if they have these morals but ignore them.

 

[Wyes]

Morals are not an inherent trait in humans; we are not born with morals, morals are taught to us. Because of this, some people aren't 'taught' to be moral.

This also brings moral relativism into play; people learn to operate under different (or no) morals, but we tend to judge everyone against our own perceptions of the world and how it should be, so the appearance of no morals would crop up fairly often.

I also think that society's 'moral fibre' isn't as strong as it used to be anymore. People don't always hold true to their own morals. Why? I'm not sure, though I suspect that it might have something to do with a diminishing belief in the threat of eternal damnation.


Please note that this is all my opinion...

 

[lacktheknack]

I think it comes from how different people perceive the world and those in it. Some see everything as very black and white, a very simple place with a defined right and wrong, and some see it as a web of intricate logic and subjective view-points.

Where do I fit? I believe that everything is very black-and-white with many "unwinnable" situations.

 

[Scout Tactical]

This is just something that I wonder about sometimes. Are people just born that way? Is it because parents neglect to teach their children morals? Maybe some people just don't care about morals? Are there more reasons for lacking morals besides these?

Moral dissonance is common, because we can't agree what is "moral" as a whole. If Kant is to be believed, and I think he is in this respect, you are certainly being immoral if you do something that you would not reasonably want everyone to do. To simplify things, "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you." It's quite clear now why religious activists were always fond of Kantist theory, even if he tried to prove his theories on philosophical morality secularly.

 

[Theninja'skatana]

Lack of caring/distress can lead to A lack of morals.
Edit: Ah ninja'd and said ninjas know far more about such things!(drat)