Can you improve yourself morally by studying morality?
Studying morality, only gives you an awareness of itself, but implementing it or
being moral, is an individual concern. I believe that improving oneself morally arises
from a combined effort of the family, social, structure, community and above all, the
individual itself. For e.g. studying about love, does not make everyone lovers, neither
does studying classical music make everyone live as a musician from the romantic,
baroque or renaissance periods. The cornerstone of improving oneself in any given way,
is that individuals’ perception of the action that he/she commits, and the consequences,
whether positive or negative, it entails.
The premises I would like to use in supporting my position regarding this
statement are that:
1. Studying about morality only increases an awareness of itself.
2. Increasing awareness of a concept, does not prove implementing it.
3. Implementing morality does not arise solely upon increasing its awareness.
4. Therefore, you cannot improve yourself only by studying morality.
I would like to take my personal example to support my position on this
statement. Initially when I had attended my, “Ethics and Morality” class at the beginning
of the semester, I did not have any idea what to expect, or what the class might teach me.
But as the semester progressed, I was exposed to the various theories & perspectives on
morality. I was able to travel to a different realm of perceiving daily life and my actions,
not realizing the effects, whether positive of negative, upon other people and their lives. ...