Racism is Morally Wrong
Many years ago Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel stated that “racism is man's gravest threat to man - the maximum of hatred for a minimum of reason” (Abraham Joshua Heschel). Today that statement still rings true here in America. Despite centuries of moral and social progress millions of people still live under the yoke of prejudice and racist acts that continuously have us living in a state of perpetual chaos. Racism is philosophically incompatible with a majority of the theories covered in moral philosophy.
What makes racism a moral issue? Moral issues are those actions which have the potential to help or harm others or ourselves. Moral issues can also involve a difference of belief and not a matter of preference, a specific kind of experience (a special kind of feeling), or a specific kind of situation (the acts which affect other people). Ultimately all moral issues deal with suffering and happiness. Racism is a moral issue because it has the potential to directly increase the suffering of others. …show more content…
In the dictionary morality is defined as the disjunction between right and wrong (Morality). While that is the dictionaries definition, truly defining morality depends on in which philosophical way moral dilemmas are approached. In consequentialism, morality is defined as an act or omission from acting that will produce a good outcome, or consequence. It can be summed up by using the old saying "the ends justify the means" (Singer) . In deontology morality is judged based on the act or action's adherence to a rule or set of rules. Essentially the act is more important than its consequences
Many years ago Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel stated that “racism is man's gravest threat to man - the maximum of hatred for a minimum of reason” (Abraham Joshua Heschel). Today that statement still rings true here in America. Despite centuries of moral and social progress millions of people still live under the yoke of prejudice and racist acts that continuously have us living in a state of perpetual chaos. Racism is philosophically incompatible with a majority of the theories covered in moral philosophy.
What makes racism a moral issue? Moral issues are those actions which have the potential to help or harm others or ourselves. Moral issues can also involve a difference of belief and not a matter of preference, a specific kind of experience (a special kind of feeling), or a specific kind of situation (the acts which affect other people). Ultimately all moral issues deal with suffering and happiness. Racism is a moral issue because it has the potential to directly increase the suffering of others. …show more content…
In the dictionary morality is defined as the disjunction between right and wrong (Morality). While that is the dictionaries definition, truly defining morality depends on in which philosophical way moral dilemmas are approached. In consequentialism, morality is defined as an act or omission from acting that will produce a good outcome, or consequence. It can be summed up by using the old saying "the ends justify the means" (Singer) . In deontology morality is judged based on the act or action's adherence to a rule or set of rules. Essentially the act is more important than its consequences