In his work “GROUNDWORK OF THE METAPHYSICS OF MORALS” (1785) Kant held that “if you refrain from acting badly because you fear God or legal punishment, you are really not acting morally–a moral act must be done for the sake of morality.”
Whether Kant knew it or not, he implied that there are two systems of human behaviour:
- The Moral System and
- The Ethical System.
In the first (moral) we think in Black and White and act based on DOs and DON’Ts (Laws), and the motivating factor of what we do and don’t do is either fear loss or loss of gain. This is the field of WHAT IS, and what you see is what you get.
In the other system (ethical), thinking is a combination of black and white which presents a grey area. In this system of thinking, we respect gaps, ask why and investigate choices and decisions.
There are no laws here (Galatians 5) and if there is any law, it is subject to scrutiny. We don’t ask WHAT IS, we ask WHAT OUGHT TO BE.
In this, what you see is not always what you get. The motivating element is rational truth and reality (graded absolutism).
Pr ITM White
The Gospel Hawker
iTiS Well of Worship Fellowship (John 4:24) 