If Something Is Socially Approved, Does That Make It Right?

FACT: In the Encarta Dictionary one of the definitions of "Right" is "Socially Approved".

Do you agree?

What about when Nazi Germany slaughtered all those people? that was socially approved in Germany.

Whenever there has been slavery there has been social approval.

But if what is "Right" is not what is socially approved then tell me - how does one judge what is Right and what is Wrong?

No i don't agree that socially approved makes something right! Let me explain.

There are a lot of legalilized indiscretions that we all know of. I refuse to go into details for fear of seeming ----phobic.

We all know that these are not right but we allow ourselves partake in such acts, just because. I believe rather than trying to be right, we should try to be righteous. Every one has their God-given conscience and I don't believe its dead. Use it rather than doing the socially approved thing!

I always say, when you go to bed at night, how do you view your actions for the day? Can you live happily with it? That's my take!

Most of us Nigerians are very religious and will answer this question very easily: "I judge what is right and what is wrong based on God's word!" But when pressed further you'll discover that they engage in socialy approved but unbiblical acts like premarital sex, lying, et cetera and they will do more of the same tommorrow.

Let me tell you how I judge right and wrong. If I think it is right, it is right. If I think it is wrong, it is wrong. That is, after analyzing the consequences of such actions on my life and life of others I care about. For example, unlike many Nairaland members:
- I don't think homosexuality is wrong because it harms no-one. Also, I happen to think that parental domination of an adult is wrong, but most Nigerians think that it is right. if I think it is wrong, it is wrong!

I judge what is right or wrong based on what I feel/think. My thinking could be based on different things. It could be my own discretion or I could think about the consequences, what God's word says, what my parents would say, what the society would say or what I've been made to believe over a long period of time. I judge what is right or wrong with all these. Using Seun's examples, I think homosexuality is wrong and I also think parental domination of an adult is wrong...not only an adult but parental domination of any child is wrong.

hmmmmmmm to my own best of knowledge i can rely say that what do we personal understand by what is "GOOD AND BAD" but there is a general phenemenon that we human being belief which is conseince and i beleive al have this so ur consience tels u what exactly is good and bad also we can base our thinking on enviromental reasoning but being a psychologist reasoning differs and thinking also i beleive u do understand me
but i cant say if am right 2 ur thinking
byeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee

IAH, Seun & Bumpyman: both of you seem to judge right and wrong based on your thoughts and feelings...

IAH:

I judge what is right or wrong based on what I feel/think... I think homosexuality is... I also think parental domination of an adult is...

Seun:

Let me tell you how I judge right and wrong. If I think it is right, it is right. If I think it is wrong, it is wrong... I don't think homosexuality is... I happen to think that parental domination of an adult is... if I think it is wrong, it is wrong!

You both based right and wrong on your own initiative, but your initiative are bias and may not be appreciated by others...

Seun:

That is, after analyzing the consequences of such actions on my life and life of others I care about.

Well what about the people you don't care about? what if they feel wronged... are you completely just?

Hitler felt/thought what he was doing was right before the country got behind him, his intentions were to create a perfect crime free society, where everyone was equal and perfect as he saw fit. He wanted to end (what he thought was) German "oppression" at the hands of Jews and the rest of Europe (remember Germans did suffer). ALSO HITLER WAS A CHRISTIAN WITH LINKS TO THE POPE!!

So what essentially makes your initiatives different to Hitlers?
Are your initiatives for: the interest of yourselves and the people YOU care about; the common good (i.e. socially accepted), or perhaps Gods law?

Salako, if you read my post very well, I said I base my judgement/feelings/thoughts or what you call "initiative" on a lot of things:
- My discretion
- God's word
- What my parents would say
- What people would say
- What I've been made to believe over a long period of time

All these make up what I call my feelings. I don't just grab a feeling like that.

i go with my intuition!! if it feels right to me then i'm gon go with it!! sometimes though even when it feels right and lets say maybe there is sumthing in for instance d bible dat go against it i'm not gon do it!

I believe the best lawyer to judge whether one's actions are justifiable or not is one's conscience. I personally judge whether something done by me is right or not by my God-given conscience. If my conscience sees absolutely nothing wrong in what I have done, then I consider it right; and vice versa.

I judge wat is right and wat is wrong based on the fact the if wat I did does not hurt anybody definitely wat am doing is right but if it harm somebody then wat am doing is wrong.

@dovey, but do u know doing the right things atimes could hurt some people?

well most times itz hard
but sometimes u just feel something right
no one tells u itz right but u have a strong feeling that it is
INSTINCT

....Conscience in itself as defined by the dictionary is a sense of right and wrong.
i judge what is right or wrong based on my conscience. let your conscience be your guide.........

When you get to trouble and you don't know what to do, give a little whistle ^*whistles*, give a little whistle- ^*whistles*
When you get to trouble and you don't know what to do, give a little whistle^*whistles*
And always let your conscience be your guide!

-Mr. Jiminy Crickett from the movie Pinocchio.

Seun:

Most of us Nigerians are very religious and will answer this question very easily: "I judge what is right and what is wrong based on God's word!" But when pressed further you'll discover that they engage in socialy approved but unbiblical acts like premarital sex, lying, et cetera and they will do more of the same tommorrow.

Let me tell you how I judge right and wrong. If I think it is right, it is right. If I think it is wrong, it is wrong. That is, after analyzing the consequences of such actions on my life and life of others I care about. For example, unlike many Nairaland members:
- I don't think homosexuality is wrong because it harms no-one. Also, I happen to think that parental domination of an adult is wrong, but most Nigerians think that it is right. if I think it is wrong, it is wrong!

Seun since homosexuality is not wrong, is premarital sex (straight) wrong?

Yes, it is wrong because if all girls engage in premarital sex I will not be able to marry a virgin!

In detetermining what is righ or wrong, I use 2 guiding principles:

1. reciprocity, which basically comes down to the following: do not do to other what you dont want to be done to yourself
2. utilitarism: what is good is what brings most happiness to the largest amount of people

If you apply these principles to concrete situations, you will find out that your actions will be described and acknowledged by most people as good

Seun:

Yes, it is wrong because if all girls engage in premarital sex I will not be able to marry a virgin!

Seun is it not unusual that you think this way. Il rather have it the other way round. And what makes u think that nobody is hurt through homosexuality. Gay motherfuckers almost jumped me in school the other day, or are u saying it hurts no one because u feel it does not affect you.
And one more thought, i have a friend who has a girlfriend who is technically a virgin(she still has her hymen if she has not lost it through excercise or some other means) but she satisfies my close friend by sucking his dick every other day. She insists she wants to remain a virgin, so my friend let her be as long as he sucks his dick . In my mind i was like somebody who insists that he MUST marry a virgin who gets her would think he has won but unfortunatly, she knows that the guy can give her a good banging but she just wants to give her future husband her virginity but she still says she wants the real stuff. I dont thinkanything would stop her from getting it once she loses the virginity factor .
My friend in Abuja called me and told me he was rolling with one young Hajia, married when she was still very young and a virgin but now she sucks my guys dick all the time and he gives her the time of her life. I was asking my friend y would he do with a married woman and he was like she didnot do anything when she was young, now she is catching up. She had to be a virgin when she is given to her husband(some notherners do that) now she IS STILL doing what she wants
and i am like WHAT the hell in the world is all this Hullabuba about virgins

These are REAL experiences. Just food 4 thought though

y does this change the Dic word that ends with a k into privates

sage: Gay motherfuckers almost jumped me in school the other day, or are u saying it hurts no one because u feel it does not affect you.

Those "gay motherfuckers that almost jumped you" are rapists who happen to be gay. Please try to recognize the difference between homosexuality and sexual assault.

Seun:

Yes, it is wrong because if all girls engage in premarital sex I will not be able to marry a virgin!

Why on earth would you want to marry a virgin?

Because I am a 23 year old virgin and it seems like it would be a shame if I end up with a girl who has been with other men. It would be as if my (relatively rare) decision to wait has been pointless, and I don't want to believe that!

Seun:

Because I am a 23 year old virgin and it seems like it would be a shame if I end up with a girl who has been with other men. It would be as if my (relatively rare) decision to wait has been pointless, and I don't want to believe that!

Why have you waited? What was you motivation?
I don't see the point in waiting in the first place

@nferyn
What good is there in premarital sex? If he's decided to wait like me...its his choice and shouldnt be crucified for that


moreover he prolly dont want a girl tellin him he's not good enough in bed (on d wedding night).

I come from a family of "born again" people. I literally believed that God wanted us to wait, and I did not associate with people who didn't want to wait. I even thought that self-service, which I 'fell into' about once every month, was a sin.

If you had asked me then, "how does one judge what is right and what is wrong" I would have told you, "based on God's word as found in the bible, especially the New Testament!"

Now that those beliefs are gone and I don't have to wait for religious reasons the habit/lifestyle is still there and I haven't really found any good reason to change my lifestyle. Even if I decided today that I want to have sex, the whole process of dating (convincing a girl that I love her just to have sex with her) seems like so much work for so little profit.

In other words, I believe that the 0-2 minutes of orgasm at the end of a sex session is just not worth the enormous investment in time and money that goes into a relationship. Am I wrong?

No, its not wrong oh!
Guys, you rock! Say no to pre-marital sex!

I don't say it's wrong. It is neither right, nor wrong. Seun's answer made a lot of sense to me.
I just wished people would stop bein so obsessed about sex either in the positive or in the negative sense. It just happens to people, it's natural and there's nothing wrong with it.

simple don't judge! you're not the best to judge another person's action cause surely you can't say you have never made any mistakes in your life. As you judge others you shall also be judged

Aint nobody judging, I am only giving them encouragement!
Nobody is made judge over anyone, we all know that.........

How does one Judge What is Right and What is Wrong?
As I said before, Your Conscience!

yes o, let your conscience be your guide!

Your conscience is not sufficient to determine right or wrong. You can have a warped conscience and take immoral decisions conscientiously

Determining whether something is right or wrong is done looking at the effects of the actions you undertake

I doubt if conscience should be authoritative in deciding whats wrong or right. I know what is right to someone might be wrong to another if conscience is followed. Moreover our conscience is a by product of the ideals we've learnt overtime as a result of our upbringing.
Except we would like to believe that this matter is a relative one, otherwise i believe what is right should be right to everyone therefore the yardstick should be outside our body. Something we can all use.