THE HUMAN NEED FOR A MORAL COMPASS

The human mind is an unstable agent when it comes to making moral choices. This is not an empty statement. In fact, much of the research being done in the fields of modern social psychology and behavioral economics provide ample support for this fact.

Take for instance the research paper on Psychological or Moral Licensing written by Stanford researchers Daniel Effron and Dale Miller. The paper explores the theory that people often give themselves permission to exhibit morally questionable behavior if they feel that they can do so without discrediting themselves.

Another interesting concept on the irrationality and moral short-sightedness of the human mind is presented by Psychologist and Behavioural Economist Dan Ariely. Ariely suggests through his research that humans are predictably irrational and make decisions that are influenced not by what is right or wrong but rather by what will help them achieve the best outcomes for themselves.

While much of this research can be uncomfortable or even embarrassing to accept the truth is that as human beings we lack an intrinsic moral compass. We don’t naturally do the right thing unless there is something in it for us or unless it makes us feel good which is a potentially dangerous matrix for decision making.

But the concept that the human psyche is riddled with inconsistencies and eccentricities is not new. Neither is it something that behavioral psychology has just discovered through its reams of research. In fact, the Bible chronicled the pitfalls of the human condition long before science had any clue about it. Not only does the Bible chronicle it but it also provides the solution to the problem, something that science hasn’t been able to come up with.