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Moral minima Name University Date Moral minima Morality can be defined as the principles concerning the distinction between good and bad in a society and the degree to which something can be termed as either. Every human being is equipped with an intuition and a conscience that develops as they grow up, and relate with other human beings. This is usually manifested all through their lives as they make various decisions. People engage in various activities which lead to some form of gratification, be it pleasure and profit only (White, 2007), or Motivations and intentions play a key role in these decisions, but the question lies in where the line should be drawn. Should people do whatever they please to achieve their goals by all means necessary, or must a compromise always be made for the sake of others even when they themselves don't want to? Should rightness or wrongness of any action be judged solely from the perspective of the doer(s) or based on the likes, approvals or disapprovals of the society? Most people's understanding of right and wrong is influenced by beliefs held by the societies within which they live (White, 2007) and people with whom they interact. However, despite the freedom that each individual has to form opinions and make choices on what to do, some basic rules and regulations have to be set in every society to govern interactions between its members. Any transgression of these regulations is deemed wrong because they cause discomfiture, pain and suffering on the people to whom they are done. Any actions that interfere with the life of another human being, cause physical harm to them and psychological suffering to their persons, if without proper basis are wrong. This is exclusive of punishments given for offences, or retaliatory acts by the wronged parties, but mostly applies to the more extreme situations; those motivated by greed, unbridled ambition and pride. These are usually pre-meditated acts, carried out strategically and brutally to gratify the selfish desires of others. Lenn Goodman raises some of these issues and challenges the concept of relativism. I agree with him that there are some things that are simply wrong. The first of these is genocides. Planning in advance to kill thousands of people merely on the basis of their tribe, race or religious beliefs is detestable. All humans want to live their lives fully, and any act that terminates such lives en-masse should be strongly condemned, since "all men are created equal" (Congress, 1776). Everyone should be allowed to enjoy the right to life in harmony with others and without hindrances based solely on prejudices and how others feel about their ethnic identity or way of life (White, 2007). Warfare, excluding in cases of self-defense, is wrong because of the often suspicious intentions with which it is instiga...