I have always believed that we carry within ourselves a natural desire for justice, although we don't always agree on what that is. There's a reflex action, I think, that compels us to say "that's not fair" when we perceive ourselves as being exploited. There's something like a set of balances within us to weigh out whether what we get is commensurate with what we give.
Of course, what we think we should get differs in the circumstances, what you do willingly for a beloved child, lover or parent perhaps no amount of money could compensate if someone else required it. That's not the point.
The point is that when we discuss morality, I think that voice is the voice to pay attention to. What is fair may vary from person to person, but the desire for fairness and justice is, I think, universal.
Situation ethics may persuade you (one, not you specifically) that you can do all manner of things that others wouldn't do, or say you shouldn't do, but it can't make the victim or recipient accept it as fair or just. It can't make your actions beneficial for the thing or person you act on. In that way, morality does have an absolute, I think. |
