There are many different types of moral relativism (all of them absurd). I will focus my discussion on one type in this post – moral subjectivism – because this is rampant both inside and outside of New Ageism: the belief that morality is determined by individual beliefs, or whims no matter how harmful they may be. (Amorality is also common among New Agers – I will touch on this one, too.) The ultimate argument will be that true morality is objective (universal) – moral objectivism – and that it is known in New Age circles as “Karma”.
In order for moral relativists/subjectivists to remain true to their moral code they must do the following:
- Never impose their own morality on anyone else.
- Allow others to exercise their morality in any way they see fit.
The first point is self-explanatory but it is CONSTANTLY contradicted by those who claim to adhere to it as they persistently tell others to do what they believe is right, or good. The second point needs some further explanation…
There are many, many vile individuals in this world who believe that their actions are right, or good – some examples: pedophiles who believe they are doing a good thing by “having sex” with children because they are “teaching them about sex”, or “showing them love”; employers who underpay their workers, skimp on doing what is needed to maintain safety standards, pollute the environment etc., in order to maximize their profit margins – it’s the “right thing” to do in business. You can probably come up with many more examples of such vileness.
Moral relativists/subjectivists must not only accept these things happening out there in the world – they must accept them in their own lives (suck it up, buttercup). As soon as they tell others that what they are doing is wrong, or bad, they have violated their own moral code.
Amorality – Just For Shits And Giggles
Amorality is the belief that there is no such thing as right, or wrong – morality is a (hu)man-made concept which makes it false, or an illusion. Once again, those who claim to be amoral must never, ever tell anyone else that what they are doing is either right (good), or wrong (bad) because these concepts do not exist but…they do it all the time. They usually replace the words “right/good” and “wrong/bad” with similar words/concepts that they foolishly believe have nothing to do with their own brand of morality: high vibration-low vibration; positive-negative; spiritual-egotistical; non-judgmental-judgmental. If other people’s morality violates their own supposedly non-existent one, they will denigrate them until the cows come home. A true amoralist must accept absolutely every act, thought, word, feeling and opinion in existence but, in reality, they never do.
At the heart of moral relativism and amorality is the following mentality: “I can do whatever I want to you but you cannot do whatever you want to me” – this is the core characteristic of narcissists and psychopaths.
Objective Morality: Karma
Karma is all about right and wrong – rewards for right/good deeds and punishment for wrong/bad deeds. Karmic reward, or punishment is not determined by individuals but by the Universe, the Divine, God, Creator – whatever the label might be for that which is responsible for dishing out Karma. Justice is meted out by a force outside of individuals that is not in their control. This demonstrates the existence of an objective (universal) morality – the opposite of the prevailing subjective (personal) morality. Objective morality also obliterates the concept of amorality. Here is yet another whopper contradiction/fallacy that exists within New Ageism.
Inherently, every individual understands wrongdoing – theft, rape and murder are but a few examples. This does not stop those who will do these things. They will either hide what they do, or justify it if they are caught, or doing it openly (for instance, the way Governments justify wars for their own nefarious purposes). They try to dodge dealing with the consequences of their actions but in truth, Karma will ultimately take care of business.
Helen
