Morality in Humanities Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Morality in Humanities - Essay Example An obvious question that would crop up in the restless mind of man would be, â€Å"Why are we born; and what is our purpose in life?† Religion ideally answers this question and hence has been a pivotal factor for determining the transitions in the standards of morality. A striking example of this is the authority of the clergy till some centuries ago in all parts of the world. All major decisions on judging or defining morality, whether social or personal had some or the other influence of the priesthood. However, religions as practised by the masses have also undergone various changes. It is no more as rigid and sacrosanct today as it was earlier. People now tend towards applying critical and rational thinking. For instance, a comparatively larger percentage of today’s population is more concerned and observant about animal rights, than about personal salvation. (The rise and activities of various animal rights groups can attest this fact.)Hence, animal sacrifices for religious reasons are close to hitting nadir in the American society. Thus it can be argued that relaxation of religious dogmas have led towards new moral standards, those of eco-sensitivity and freedom from religious restrictions, the degrees varying according to the demographics. Today’s man is far-more free-thinking and tolerant and considers it below his moral standards to deny the rights of living to others for personal gains. Therefore, at least in the west religion is gradually losing its hold over morality since most of those nations are secular and statistics suggest that more and more people are turning towards atheism and agnosticism there. For example in the U.S. the figure is 15% in 2008 compared to about 8.2 in 1990. (Kosmin, Keyser, Highlight) Another prominent factor governing the transitions in morality is family. Man spends most of his life with his family adhering to its needs, demands and laws since it is the same family