Civil law is put in place to force some moral code upon
everyone within this civil jurisdiction. I think both those
who believe in an unchanging, fixed, moral code as well as
those who believe in an evolving moral code use the term
‘core value(s)’ to describe this. I’ll be using this term
from now on.
Consider these two examples: chattel slavery and homosexual
marriage. Chattel slavery was permissible in some southern
states leading up to the civil war. After the civil war,
the 14th amendment made chattel slavery illegal. The core
value that all men (no matter their skin color) had the
right to liberty and pursuit of happiness had changed across
the United States.
Sodomy was illegal in Georgia up until 2003. In 1986, in
Bowers v. Hardwick, the Supreme Court of the United States
(SCOTUS) upheld Georgia state law which criminalized sodomy.
Then in 2003, in Lawrence v. Texas, SCOTUS ruled that law
against sodomy infringed on personal rights and choice. On
Oct. 5, 2020, SCOTUS justices Thomas and Alito scolded
SCOTUS for not taking up Kim Davis’ appeal of the 2015
Obergefell decision where homosexual marriage rights were
affirmed infringing upon her 1st amendment
freedom-of-religion rights. Thus, core values of homosexual
behavior and their rights made an about face somewhere
between the 1980’s and 2020.
Where do core values come from? Those who believe these are
fixed will point to some external absolute standard. This
means they have explaining to do with regard to previous
core values they have accepted in the past but now believe
should be changed. This explanation must pick one of two
choices. Either the external absolute standard changed due
to some circumstance or they were wrong about the previous
core value ever being correct.
Let’s return to the two examples: chattel slavery and
homosexual marriage.
The ‘fixed’ morality camp would either say the core value of
allowing states to permit chattel slavery up to our civil
war was wrong from the beginning or that the absolute
standard was modified – some how. If one in this
fixed-morality camp were truly rational, he would have some
answer.
Others would include the evolving-morality camp as well as
those who claim to believe in fixed morality but don’t
bother to rationally think through why their mind had
changed. These others may just say this core value which
permitted chattel slavery evolved to civil law prohibiting
it. Reasons may be given. Factory work in the North was
much less conducive to slave labor than the agricultural
south and economic advantages of slavery were decreasing.
Maybe this core value evolved just because the North won?
Let’s consider homosexual marriage now.
The ‘fixed’ morality camp would either say the core value of
homosexual behavior and rights was wrong from the beginning
or that the absolute standard was modified – some how. What
was this absolute standard in 1776 vs 2020? Many people
identified with a Christian church have changed their minds
on what used to be the fixed standard calling homosexuality
not just evil but illegal. What has changed? Did the
fixed-standard change or has belief in a fixed-standard
waned? Has the majority of conservative Christian America
been dumbed down? They don’t understand the rational decision
to allow homosexual rights goes against a fixed standard they
claim to believe? Let that sink in.
Of course it’s impossible to have multiple “Absolute”
standards. Not everyone believes in the same absolute
standard. The fact that some believe in a fixed unchanging
standard vs some who believe in an evolving standard itself
tells us this. Consider Worldview. It dictates our actions
based on those things we take for granted, i.e., believe in,
i.e., are impossible to disprove. Even if people don’t
self-examine or rationalize this ‘belief’, everyone has one.
Worldviews are visible by the way we act.
More to come.