Defining The Meaning Of Terms Perceptions, Morality And Democracy

Perception is essentially a man’s reaction to the world around him; he processes everything around him and forms opinions based on it. It is is ‘man’s primary form of cognitive contact with the world around him. As all conceptual knowledge is based upon or derived from this primary form of awareness, the study of perception has always had a unique significance for philosophy and science.’ According to the Stanford Encyclopaedia of Philosophy, morality usually means a specific code of conduct put by the society that one lives in, or groups like religious bodies; or something that an individual believes and accepts for their own behaviour; or a code of conduct that, given specified conditions, would be put forward by all rational persons. The term Democracy is one known to someone as young as a twelve, or maybe ten-year-old. Expressed very simply, it means rules by the people, in the form of a representative government elected by the people. The aim of this paper is to understand the meaning of these three terms, which are capable of impacting the modern society, and to establish a relation between them, showing how one impacts the other.

Perception and Morality are very closely linked to each other. ‘Mind perception entails ascribing mental capacities to other entities, whereas moral judgment entails labelling entities as good or bad or actions as right or wrong. We suggest that mind perception is the essence of moral judgment. In particular, we suggest that moral judgment is rooted in a cognitive template of two perceived minds—a moral dyad of an intentional agent and a suffering moral patient.’ Mind perception, the way we interpret and assign a value, so to speak, to entities, heavily shape the Morality one develops. Perception would determine the level of rationality that one possesses, for perception determines the way one reacts to the world around themselves, hence determining the level of rationality. The level of Rationality in a person would determine them developing a set of ideals, or their own code of conduct, conforming to the norms set by society, religion, or standards by their own behaviour. Thus, we can conclusively establish a clear link, something which will be attempted to do for Morality and democracy as well.

Socrates described morality as the ‘art of self-possession and self-governance’; democracy literally translates to the rule of the people on themselves. Would this imply the rule by democracy, and rule by morality are the same? For the two to be the same, there must be a representation of the majority of a nation’s interests, and a moral code of conduct acceptable by all. “From a liberal standpoint the mix of morality and law presents an automatic breach on ‘the rights of man’ and their right to self-determination. Democracy, it seems will have that right be a conditional one.” Being a representative government, a democratically elected government, or laws which are passed democratically, are assumed to be a representation of the will of a majority of society, or phrasing it in a more accurate manner, the majority of elected leaders. Moral equality cannot, and will not be able to equal and conforming to everyone’s ideals and needs, because the morals and code of conduct of the minority will always be overshadowed by those of the majority. From this, it can be concluded that rule by morality and rule by democracy cannot be the same thing. Morality, however, does have a major impact on the laws framed, and the government formed in a county; defining the course a country’s future would take. A moral code of conduct accepted by the majority of the society becomes the norms that govern the society, influencing their choices of representatives elected as well as their reactions to certain laws, both directly and indirectly.

These three terms, perception, morality and democracy, play a crucial role in society, and on the individual level. As explained earlier, perceptions give rise to a certain mental image, which shape your morality and influence the choices that you make, impacting an individual’s personal choices, as well as the society’s choices which have the power to steer the direction a nation’s future would take, making these three words extremely relevant and important, especially in today’s age.