The Dept. of Arts (Philosophy), SHSS, supported by Sophia Club, Manipal University Jaipur had organized a guest lecture on the topic ‘Law and Morality’ which was attended by students and faculty members of the School of Humanities and Social Sciences in a considerably large number. The speaker for the lecture was Prof. Kusum Jain, Former Professor of Philosophy in University of Rajasthan and Member of ICPR, New Delhi. Dr. Anthony S. Raj, Professor of Philosophy and HOD of Dept. of Arts, heartily welcomed and introduced the speaker.
Legal rules are created by formal institution whereas morals are principles of right and wrong which can differ from person to person. Morals lie within human psyche, which is exceedingly protean and erratic. At first law and moral seem to be analogous. But it is not difficult to realize the difference between them. What is actually legal according to the constitution and what should be legal but is not, are very diverging notions. What should be legal can nearly signify what is morally just. Morality and law are not cognate but diverging. The law can’t head the desires and reasons inside a human psyche. Morality often depends on a person’s intentions and character. The opinions others have about morality are a secondary concern for most laws.
Law and morality both are normative system of our society. The only difference is that law can be created or changed anytime while morality exists and differs from person to person. Morals are evolved as feelings within society. What may be moral for me, might not be moral for you and what is not moral for you, might not be moral for me. For example, Gay rights are legalized in the USA and many other European countries but they are not legalized in India. Another example is Euthanasia. It’s still debatable if it’s moral or not. Some people might think of this legal consent for painless death as moral but some might not, as they consider other factors too, such as family. On the contrary, we cannot oppose the fact that the major notions in law are derived from morality. For example, criminal law is an outcome of moral beliefs. There is no doubt a strong analogy between Law and Morality. Law can be used to implement the sanguine moral in some conditions where morality has a lucrative and favorable effect on the society.
After the lecture was concluded, an interactive Q&A session followed. The vote of thanks was given by Dr. Robin Luke, Assistant Professor of Philosophy, Dept. of Arts.
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