Is Dogmatic Morality the Absolute Morality?

Spent the whole day writing this short thesis due Wednesday. Written from an undeniably biased and extremist point of view that I doubt the teacher will allow this to be published. Hmm... Let me guess... She'll most probably reject it and demand me to take a more neutral stance. (If she doesn't tell me to switch topic of course!) Anyway, I demand my right to the freedom of speech and shall therefore, post it here. Whether it'll make it to publication or not is another matter.

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教条的な道徳は絶対的な道徳？

　 人間が社会の一員として、その体系の安定を維持するのに、行為はある承認された規範に限られている。その規範は善悪の判断する尺度かつ共同体における価値 となり、「道徳」とされている。現代社会の道徳的堕落というと、ほとんどの人は相変わらずそれを現代人の信念が弱まっているということと連想していく傾向 がある。なぜかというと、宗教は道徳の尺度とされているからである。

　善悪を判断する能力は、人間にとって、大きな天の恵みである。文明 が始まるやいなや、人間は自分の行動を「善」と「悪」にわけ、道徳の体系を作り出した。しかし、「真理」の知らぬ無知な人間によって定められた道徳の規範 は絶対的なものではない。「絶対的な道徳」になるのは、全能だし、無限に賢い創造者を「最善」の規範とし、定められた道徳の体系である。それはかつてから 人間の信念に根付いて、宗教はもう道徳の土台になったのである。

　米国に生まれた心理学者ローレンス・コールベルグ（Lawrence Kohlberg）の研究によると、道徳は理論的な推理であり、その発達は大きく三つの段階に分けることができるということ*¹。 第一段階は一般的に言えば、子供の推理方法である。子供であっても、何か行為をすればか、必ず何か結果をもたらすということがわかるはずだそうである。ま だ判断力のない子供は、自分行為の善悪を分けるために、その結果から考えるわけである。例えば、両親からほめ言葉をもたらす行為は、いいとされ、叱りをも たらす行為は、悪いとされる。宗教のある人間は、自分のすべての行為が全知全能の神様に裁判されていると信じ、欲を制御し、神様の「規則」を従うわけであ る。罪を犯した人間は神様から罰則を受ける。そのため、人間は不道徳な行為を避けるべきである。しかし、それは本質的な道徳よりも、子供の段階の推理方法 により、定められた道徳ではないか。

　また、ただ聖書や聖典に記されていることで、あるものを道徳として守るのは、「道徳」とは言えない だろう。こんな場合は、「盲従」という言葉のほうが適当だろう。宗教の始まりから、人間は宗教に対する盲従で、道徳の体系を崩す枚挙にいとまがない。中世 末期キリスト教会の主導によって行われた魔女狩りで、数百万人（実際の数が不明）は焚刑、絞首刑、溺死刑などの残虐な処刑法で犠牲された*²。14世紀から16世紀にわたって、中米メキシコに栄えるアステカ文明は、ピラミッドで生きたまま人間の生贄の胸を切り分け、心臓を神様へのささげ物としてえぐり出す行為があるそうである*³。また、今日の自爆テロは自分の宗教を絶対的なものと主張し、理性さえ失われるほど盲従してしまう。このように、宗教を絶対的な道徳にすることの危険性は明らかである。

　 そうして、宗教は絶対的な道徳だとすれば、その規範は一つしかないはずである。なぜかというと、「真理」は一つしかないからである。しかし、世界宗教はそ れぞれ異なった道徳の体系をもっている。例えば、同性愛は道徳な行為か不道徳な行為かということを考えてみよう。キリスト教やイスラム教では同性愛行為は 自然に逆らうので、不道徳だとされている。それに対して、仏教の聖典にはそれに対する一致は別にない。また、現代社会の価値観から見れば、人間の性的な傾 向を犯すのは、不道徳な行為だとされているため、イギリスでは同性愛行為は合法化されている。それに対して、ほとんど他の国では、それが禁制されている。 だから、道徳の尺度は文化のみならず、宗教にわたって異なっているのである。それは巨大な矛盾であり、一言で言えば、道徳は相対的なものである。

　 道徳自体はそもそも宗教から枝分かれするのではなく、独立するものである。例えば、利己ではなく、友に共感できるという道徳性は、人間にだけでなく、ネズ ミにも表されている。動物行為の研究者マック・ベッコフ（Marc Bekoff）は、ネズミは自分がえさをとることで、友が感電されたら、共感して、それをやめるという「動物の道徳性」を観察した*⁴。また、吸血コウモリには飢えている友に食べさせてあげる行為があるそうである*⁵。以上の例を考えると、道徳は宗教を規範にする必要はない。というのは、道徳は自然に生じる性質だからである。

このように、道徳は宗教と相互に独立するものということが否定できない。教条主義的な道徳は絶対的な道徳ではない。それは、人間の理性や共感により定められたものは、道徳の規範になれるわけからである。

参考文献：

*1 Kohlberg’s stages of moral development
*2魔女狩り
*3人身御供
*4 Wild Justice and Fair Play
*5 Reciprocal Altruism in Vampire Bats

Volunteers Needed

Holy cow! Homework's piling up like Fujisan! Am urgently looking for volunteers to settle the following stuff:

1. Physics report
2. Chemistry report
3. スピーチ, speech　- "Progress sheet" due tomorrow
   
4. 発表, presentation (Theme, tentatively: 幸せ, Happiness) - Outline of speech due next Monday
   
5. 小論文, short essay (Theme, tentatively: 現代社会の自己愛, Narcissism of the Modern Society; or 愛は罪, Love is Sin) - Due next Thursday
6. Preparations for interview
   
7. Revise for exam coming in less than three weeks' time
   

Alright, I'm not stepping out of the dorm this weekend until at least 50% of the work is done.

Also looking for someone who can shop for food, do the laundary, clean my room and cook for me.

This is so shitty. What on earth have I been doing? Oh, let's see...

First, there's this website I found recently. Computer Science for Fun, by the University of London. It's not actually about programming, but, rather, the logic thinking crucial to developing problem-solving skills. Haven't really studied it yet.

Then, there's this useless thing I spent about two hours making yesterday. It's only available in PDF format for the time being, and is in Japanese. Translation and the image file version will not be available until I manage to allocate more time to waste. Happy Valentine's Day. Planning to only post it up in the elevator two days before the special day but I just can't wait! So, I'll let you have a peek... Shh! I'm gonna get killed if "they" found out about it! Anyway, that's the whole idea. How could it be fun otherwise? (Sinister laughter)

And, of course, there's this stupid trip to Lake Kawaguchi last weekend. Which cost 8,000 yen and a whole Saturday.

Whadda?! That's all? I'm still short of time despite going to bed an hour later than I used to do. Who the heck is stealing my time?

Australian sells his life on Ebay for (A)$7,500. Anyone willing to sell his time? I'm ready to trade it with this frustration that's killing me.

Oops, gotta rush for class!

Lake Kawaguchi and West Lake

Lake Kawaguchi (河口湖), Lake Motosu (本栖湖), West Lake (西湖), Lake Shoji (精進湖), Lake Yamanaka(山中湖) ~ Fuji Five Lakes

First trip of the year.

The trip to Lake Kawaguchi and West Lake last Saturday was totally not up to my expectation. Lesson of the day, never believe in websites or travel brochures. What you see in those photos aren't always what you get. Even with just a low budget, the one-day trip wasn't quite worth it. Which brings me to wonder if it'd have been better had we visited Nikko instead. And, especially when you're the one who arranged the trip, you're responsible to make sure that things go accordingly. In this case, they didn't really go too well.

Since we weren't planning to stay overnight, time was a main issue. Scheduled to leave from the dorm early in the morning; but as usual, there're those incorrigible ones who can never be punctual. It doesn't take a psychic to foresee that, though. So, it had been taken into consideration.

So, we started our trip by taking the 8 o'clock train. A long ride, about two and a half hours, with a few transits in between. Being uncertain of which train to transit to, we resorted to taking the slower one, which cost us an extra hour to get there.

The train ride was generally boring. During the journey, caught sight of this old man reading an English newspaper, while scribbling some notes in the margin. Rare sight in Japan.


Noon. Finally, Kawaguchi Station. Snow-capped Fujisan could be seen from the station. Phew, fine weather, it seemed, even though it snowed in the morning. Thank goodness the weather forecast was reliable.


Diving into the tourist information center, we learned that the only way to get around the place was by taking this thing called Retro Bus. As the name suggests, it was really retro, and the system was rather inconvenient: circles the lake in only one direction. Which means, there's no way to take the bus down the other direction but to make a complete round, one way (that's an hour).

Then, things went wrong - I rushed into the first bus without noticing that it circles Lake Kawaguchi instead of West Lake, which was where we were supposed to be heading. Luckily, the bus driver was kind enough to have let us off at a bus stop where we could transit to the other bus. And again, luckily (I must say), the bus we're supposed to take came 10 minutes later and not otherwise. Or else, we'd have to wait till the next round, which was like an hour more.


It took us 40 minutes, but we eventually reached our first destination in West Lake for the 西湖樹氷の祭り (Saiko Jyuhyō no Matsuri). It wasn't at all impressive.

The "snow decorations" were half-melting because of all those people who ignored the sign at the entrance which said, "Keep your hands away from the decorations 'cos the snow melts, you idiots".


Illumination was to start after five. But we had to keep on with the schedule since the crappy Retro Bus service ends by 5.30. So we had to do with it by having a snowball fight.

Nothing interesting at all.

Unless if you don't mind fooling around with the camera.

Alright, so one hour wasted. Next stop, Iyashi no Sato Nenba (いやしの里根場).

Near the mysterious lake of Saiko, where nature is preserved as it was long ago, lies a unique place where time has stood still.

Lake Saiko, Nenba, where once stood exquisitely-made thatch roof houses accompanied by the breathtaking vista of Mount Fuji, was said to be the most beautiful place in Japan. However, in 1966 an enormous typhoon struck, causing a mud slide which tragically destroyed the village. The town of Fujikawaguchiko decided in 2003 to rebuild the thatched roof village of long ago, and thus Iyashinosato Nenba was born again. ~Iyashi no Sato Nenba Pamphlet

Sounds promising, eh? But again, big disappointment.

What we got to see were houses like this. A "resource center", and the rest of which were mainly souvenir shops. In fact, about half of the place was still under construction.

Mount Fuji could be seen alright. But, not so much as to be called a "breathtaking vista".

Oh, we got stuck with a guy who was a descendant of some big guy in charged of a place somewhere some 400 years ago. He kept babbling away about history, which we listened half-heartedly and nodded from time to time as courtesy, although we couldn't wait to leave already.

Then he showed us this old house, which survived the mud slide and was left in a state of neglect after that.

"No, no! Don't take photos! The spirits of the mud slide victims are resting here!" he warned as we started snapping away. "Shh, can't you feel the aura?"

Oh, uh... Yeah? Erm... (Rolled eyes)

After that, we bid farewell to the great-great-...-grandson-of-Mr-Whoever-He-Was-Big-Guy and rushed for the last bus to get back to Lake Kawaguchi. Had dinner till seven something, and left for the winter festival.

Winter fireworks, this should better be good.

I would say it wasn't too bad. But after watching the summer fireworks display in Tama last August, this wasn't so splendid after all.

Because I was all the time getting ready to snap away at the right moment, I didn't really get to enjoy the hanabi (花火) that much. What really pissed me off was that I could only take crappy photos like this...

...with people blocking me away. And photos like this...

... because I was standing too close.

8.30 pm. Now's the time to worry. No more bus service, and we had to rush to the station by foot to take the last train; we had 30 minutes; it was -1°C. Luckily, with the help of the kind lady at a minimarket and the guy in a restaurant, we managed to find our way 10 minutes early. Phew, saved...

So, there we go. 8,000 yen poorer and tired like rats which struggled in a barrel of beer. While I was worrying whether the rest of the group was disappointed about the trip as I was, they said otherwise. Whether they really meant it or was it a courtesy, I do not know. But, anyway, お疲れさまでした!

- January 27, 2007 -

Searching for the Lost Smile

It's amazing how sometimes, you wake up in the morning and suddenly see things in a different light.

For longer than enough, I've been wallowing in self-pity. Long enough for me to have eventually lost my previous self. I pretty damn know that it's corrupting me, but I've been so acquainted with it that I started to accept it as part of myself.

Looking at the people around me, I realised that it is those who're happy that happiness seeks. Yes, I may get some attention by feeling bad for myself. But in the end, I end up feeling worse. Whether I feel good or bad depends mostly on me. So, why not try to make things better for my own sake?

A change in point of view should be helpful.

Say, when someone purposely tries to make your life miserable, the best way piss him off is to return it with a smile. When someone keeps telling you how lousy you are, thank him for pointing out your weakness so that you can improve yourself.

Undoubtedly, what I went through hurts a lot. But, all the pain that I suffered would be vain if I do not gain something from it. Yeah, easier said than done, eh? What have I gained, then? It took me quite some time to seek it, but I'm glad I eventually discovered it.

Firstly, thank you for being my motivation during the end-of-term exam. The mid-term exam was a disaster and if I screwed up the other one as well, I'd be done for sure. But no, I couldn't let that happen because you were there.

Thank you for the good times you spent with me, although I have to admit that there were bad times as well. I wish we could go on, but just as I get to make my decision, you get to make yours too. Fair and square. I was too selfish to have overlooked that. I've tried my best to try to make things work out, but I can't blame you for giving up.

There're still a couple of questions lingering in the head. Yet, no longer am I insisting on the answers. From now on, things shall be the way they ought to be. Broken promises there are, but I shall not break the last promise I made; and from you, I hope for the same thing as well.

Although a certain regret and faint hope still remains, I've ceased to stubbornly hold on to them. Unpleasant episodes always appear worse when you're going through them. But once you get over them, look back and you'll be proud of yourself for having gone through the obstacle. For that reason, I believe I've grown stronger. I can't tell what other obstacles are there waiting for me but at least, if something unpleasant does happen again, I can just shrug and say, "Ah, I've been through such things. I can make it, alright."

Ups and downs are inevitable parts of life. It's futile to attempt to avoid the downs so what's important is to recover from them. Whatever happens, take your time to get over it but make sure that you learn something from it.

For those who supported me through those seemingly hopeless days, thank you, too. For those whose concern I crudely ignored, I'm sorry but again, thanks.

The search for the lost smile is over. I hope it can stay with me for as long as possible. But, even if I were to lose it again, I know where to look for it once more.