11 of 16

Write now Article Tools

"Morality" is a very complicated word. It doesn't describe one simple, straightforward thing which can be "wed to" or "divorced from" government.

Indeed, there is one particular kind of ethical distinction that would clarify this issue quite a bit: The difference between "permissible" and "allowable." (Yes, I know they are synonyms; I am using a technical, philosophical usage.)

Permissible actions are those that it is all right for you to do. They aren't necessarily things you ought to do, let alone things you are morally obligated to do; merely things that you may do if you wish. Permissible actions would include wearing hats on Sundays and owning laptop computers.

Allowable actions, on the other hand, are a broader category. They include not only things that it is all right for you to do, but things that it is wrong for others to stop you from doing-if even you actually ought not do them. Examples could include being lazy at work, lying about a minor matter, making a rude comment. Usually, an impermissible action becomes allowable when the wrong done by stopping it outweighs the wrong done by allowing it to happen.

With this distinction in mind, it's easy to see what the role of government ought to be: to allow only allowable actions and prevent unallowable actions. Some moral wrongs, like murder and grand theft, are obviously unallowable; and so we create law enforcement systems to prevent them. Others, like lying and impoliteness, are allowable, and so it would be overly moralistic-even totalitarian-to enforce against them.

This changes the question dramatically, from a broad and difficult, "Should government legislate morality?" to a much simpler matter of "Is this particular wrong allowable?" If it is, let it slide; if not, ban it. Which is which ought to be something we can figure out with enough thought and dialogue.

Learn more about this author, Patrick Julius.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.

Add your voice

Know something about Why government and morality should be divorced?
We want to hear your view. Write now!