The definition of morality is the distinction between right and wrong. Nevertheless, various cultures at different times in history have assorted ideas on what is a part of their moral code. Since every society develops their own independent moral code another society does not have the right to decide if it is wrong. However, there are some values are universal like the ten commandments. Moral codes are developed in various areas and time periods, no moral code is better than others, and there are some codes that are universal.
In different areas of the world they have distinct cultures and religions. One of the reasons for this is that they were geographically separated. Continents of north and south America and Europe were alienated from each other because of the thousands of miles of water. It was not until Columbus discovered America in 1492 were the two worlds introduced to each other. Therefore, the native americans had different morals than the Europeans. The Incas and Aztecs sacrificed humans to their gods. These sacrifices were immoral according to the Europeans moral code. Nonetheless, to the Aztec and Incas it was the right thing to do because the purpose of the sacrifices was to praise their gods. When Europe was colonizing the new world they deemed the native cultures barbaric. They
…show more content…
The time period and how industrialized a culture is dictates the values it possess. Moral codes are based on religious thought and since no one knows for certain what is right or wrong they cannot determine if a cultures principles moral. In the past moral codes have been based on religion, however over time more people are starting to rely on science. The ten commandments have become an universal moral code because of European explorers. Moral codes develop in a range of locations and historical periods, no moral code is more correct than another, and there are particular values that are
When the spanish arrived, usually because of what the aztecs believe in they would have been sacrificed immediately but, in the 1500’s when Hernan Cortes a spanish conquistador, entered Aztec territory with a small group of men the aztec men thought that they were sent by their god, Quetzalcoatl which is a very important god to the Aztecs who had vowed that he would appear when the world was near its end. The spanish came looking to convert people to the catholic religion and also to get gold. The spanish stayed for awhile as a guest of emperor and the longer they stayed the more suspicious things started to become because they did not act like gods nor did they attend sacrifice ceremonies. When the Aztecs decided it was time for the Spanish
When the three cultural extremes of the Spanish Conquistadores, the English Settlers, and the Native Americans converged in the New World, their morals and values were negatively influenced. The Conquistadores were in search of wealth in abundance in the New World, and were determined to find it. The English Settlers came to establish a colony absent of the pressures of Roman Catholicism. The Native Americans were living in peace until the disruption of foreign civilizations. All three factions would have to adapt once their beliefs and ideals clashed.
When the settlers of Europe first came to the new world, they were introduced to the Native Americans. The settlers wanted the Natives to follow their culture and its benefits such as education, religion, and the usage of the environment. The Native Americans refused the request, stating they have their own type of culture, believing it to be the most superior; as a result, the Natives’ statement angered the ethnocentric settlers. Consequently, this caused a conflict between the two groups because of their culture differences. Firstly, the main culture difference consists of religion, tradition, and way of living.
Morality is how one experiences and how he or she learns the behavior. With individuals, he or she does not learn than consequences may follow. With the health, individuals need to balance, and individuals need to know what is right and what is wrong. When individuals do not use morals, his or her thought process might hinder actions that may or may not benefits themselves or others. Ethical values begin with one individual thought and he or she learns their thoughts everything else falls into
In addition to the displacement of the tribes, Spaniards forced the Natives to pay taxes in the form of clothing and maize. With this taxation the Spanish were inconsiderate and abusive because they forced and exploited the Indians to the point of leaving “the Indians with nothing but what they had on” (Lienbmann, 2012). Together with taxation the Europeans sought to ‘save the indigenous souls’ by converting the Natives into Christianism. They prohibited the Natives from practicing their religion by arresting priests, destroying ceremonial chambers, masks, and ritual paraphernalia and by making violent physical attacks on Indians in general. Many converted in order to live with less fear.
The concept that morals are dependent upon culture and vary, and therefore there are multiple “right” actions depending on the culture is: D) Ethical Relativism 10. The theory that argues that although morals vary, there are some fundamental universal truths is called: C) Soft Universalism 11.
The Key Differences Between Native Americans and Europeans Even before the Native Americans and the Europeans had met, they were doomed to have conflict. Both groups had disparate views in how an individual’s wealth was measured and more importantly, they had crucially different beliefs in how many facets of divinity were in their religion. The idea of a communal wealth between a group of people was shared by most Native American communities, while the widespread concept of mercantilism was held by most European explorers. However, the opinion of god was what created tension between the groups. The Europeans had a monotheistic God while the natives often had many gods in their culture.
The culture of the natives was seen as barbaric by the European explorers as many native societies in the New World had a polytheistic religion in which they worshipped many different gods, and practiced human sacrifice such as the Aztecs who sacrificed people to their gods for favor. Hernan Cortes expresses this belief in a letter to Charles V, saying “they have a custom….abominable….deserving of punishment….they take [people].... [and] take out their hearts and entrails….as a sacrifice to their gods” (Doc 1). Cortes no doubt had this viewpoint because he was a Christian and part of his time spent with the
Moral values are relating to the principles of right conduct or what a person sees as right and wrong. So it is basically what people think is right and wrong. This strongly influences the decisions that they take, considering that a person will do something if it seems wrong. Nonetheless, people still do things that they know are wrong, but most decisions a human being makes are
Just like how the idiomatic expression “beauty is in the eyes of the beholder” is perceived, ‘moral values’, to a different person, has a distinct meaning. Moral values, more often than not, are defined according to the cultural beliefs. Each culture has its own sets of rules and beliefs to determine what is crucial, trivial, right, wrong, good and bad. For instance, it is vital for Chinese children to practice filial piety as it is an essential value of Chinese traditional culture (POŠKAITĖ, 2014); hence, living with parents, regardless of the marital status, is the right thing to do for it is good. On the contrary, Western children are not entitled to such obligation.
Moral is a strange thing, it effects the way we act and reach. It effects what we think about others and were we draw the line. Moral is a concept of what is wrong and what is right when it comes to many things. Most of the time we have the same morals, most people consider murder wrong, but sadly, we do not all have the same morals. Morals can be something more personal and therefor they can differ.