179 Many problems of modern society cannot be sol

[ketanjain]

179 Many problems of modern society cannot be solved by laws and the legal system because moral behaviour cannot be legislated.

 

The topic very well states that many of the problems faced by the modern world cannot be solved by laws and legal system for the reason that the moral behaviour responsible for these problems cannot be legalised. To start with the very usage of words like 'sorry' , 'please' , 'thanks' cannot be forced by the law eventhough these words have a very high impact on the people in their day to day to activities. It is just the moral responsibility or a reflection of the moral behaviour of a person in doing so. Law can only confine or restrict a individuals physical presence but not his thoughts and perceptions.

 

The very fact that people have a lot of rights in a democratic country restricts the law and puts it into a backseat in controlling the moral behaviour of the people. It is for the people to act justly. A number of Prohibition experiments conducted by the Government to control the consumption of alcohol failed miserably. People never gave up and found new ways of acquiring alcohol inspite of many restrictions from the govt. It is the people who have to understand the ill-effects of alcohol on the society and act accordingly. We have also witnessed a number of cases where people suffering with AIDS are ostracized by the community. Legal system can only help support these people physically/financially but not morally. It is the people who have to understand and act accordingly.

 

One important problem faced by most of the countries is that of Pollution. There are many laws enacted by the Govt. to control pollution. No doubt that these laws are helpful in controlling pollution till a extent but the real control and effect of these laws is put to question. There are factories who would prefer to do away with the rules and regulation by paying up fine/penalty for not adhering to the norms instead of regulating their methods of production because they find it more convenient financially doing so. Air pollution can also be controlled by growing sense of awareness within the people using automobiles say the usage of multi-modal transport whenver possible instead of their personal cars and/or maintaining a sound condition of the engine of the vehicle. Instead law cannot make it mandatory for people to travel only by multi-modal transport system.

 

We have seen wide spread protests and agitations against the use of military power by some countries over other. It is justified for these countries to use power over other countries for the sake of world peace but there are millions of civilians who are affected by these militarty operations. In such situatuions the morality of the war is put to question. In such cases it becomes difficult for people to morally support the operation whereas it may be considered appropriate by the Govt. Less revealed and discussed but there are significant problems of countries spying over others with the help of satellites thereby impinging on the freedom of other countries. We also know about the cold war between countries which had in the past led to drastic situations.

 

There are many countries in the world who are skeptic about the right use of Euthanasia, the act of mercy killing, if legalised. The grave consequences of the misuse of Euthanasia is holding the govt. back. This is because the technicalities of legal system cannot completely assure and avoid its misuse.

 

However, it would be inappropriate for us to undermine the strength of the Legal System. If not because of the legal system, the world would not have been as it is now and would be in a complete chaos.Moreover some areas like the functions of Business Organisations can be tried to controlled and regulated by strict laws giving no scope for immoral activities a place in day to day business. Businesses should not be left uncontrolled to act for their own financial interest on the cost of the society's well being.

 

To conclude modern day problems are hard to solve using only legal systems but it also lies in the morality of the people to act towards solving these problems. As it is sometimes said " u can take a horse to a pond but cannot make it drink water " . Likewise, laws can enforce and help guide people to a extent but the ultimate task of solving the modern day problems lies within the people.

 

[ketanjain]

Dear Friends !!

 

I am waiting for my issues to be valued on a scale of 0-6 and also please give me your valuable guidance and suggestions about how to further improve upon my essays please.......

Awaiting 2 hear frm ya friends......

Ketan Jain

[Nish]

My response to the same topic. this one is a real debatable topic.

 

179 Many problems of modern society cannot be solved by laws and the legal system because moral behaviour cannot be legislated.

 

King Martin Luther said , “ Morality cannot be legislated. It can only be taught. “

I agree that morality has to be taught from schools and has to be inculcated by parents at home and by teachers in school. Morality means what is right and what is wrong and identifying the differences between the two. Who decides what is right and what is wrong?An act could be moral in your eyes at one moment and not moral at another moment.

 

The issue presented here talks about modern problems . What are the problems that modern society faces? The problems are galore. These could be problems on a personal level such as abortion or more complex and international problems such as Pollution, Terrorism, Crimes and Mafia. The biological field poses new problems for the society like cloning. Whether it is ethical or moral to clone or not ? Even if these activities are legalized, is there any way one can stop people from going ahead with it. Can laws be formulated that could prevent this?

 

Lets take the case of Terrorism and the morals of the people who could be behind it. These people claim to be proponents of freedom. Yet, they are not. Instead, they view freedom and free speech not as a means to do good, but as a license to reject authority, morality, and propriety. They believe that freedom is a license to engage in reprehensible behaviour and go towards moral anarchy. Either through blindness, stupidity, or willful ignorance, they cannot see that the consequences of their own actions are destructive. Laws can be created to control and check the behavior of the people but how can one change their morality . Can you do so by making a law that says everyone has to think moral. No, I don’t think so.

Similarly, in case of abortion, it is morally wrong to take the life of an innocent human being . Unborn babies are innocent human beings from the moment of conception. Thus, abortion, which takes the life of an innocent human being, is morally wrong. But , still it has been legislated and allowed in many countries. In a contrast, in the same countries people feel cloning is unethical and not moral. How can destroying life be legalized and creating life is not being allowed to be legal. I cite these examples to show how morality can differ and it is so difficult to have standard opinions.

 

So, is it that with modern problems we will have to redefine what morality is? Society is an ever-changing entity. Social morals evolve and dissolve to reflect these ever-changing values. Right, wrong or indifferent, who will decide. Time will only tell. But for the time being, the problems of modern society cannot be solved by laws and the legal system because moral behavior cannot be legislated. Laws have only brought a standardized solution for all in which some have to suffer because they have been victims of the law itself. With Changing society and norms laws will have to change, too.