Changing Morality

John B. Judis makes the claim in Value-Free that capitalism promotes positive values and cannot be blamed for the decline of morality that many see in American culture. Some view today’s youth as being godless, immoral, lazy and irrational. With a move into our current age, work as become less necessary for youth and the importance of education has risen. Higher education encourages freethinking and free thought leads to developing ones own ideas of morality and virtue. Instead of adopting the morality and virtue of ones parents, community, or church a more individualistically true sense of self is created. This is good not only for the individual but society as well. Instead of trying to achieve goals and expectations set by others, people are more concerned with how they feel and what makes them happy. If on an individual level people are striving to better themselves and maximize happiness this will benefit all of society.

It is not a decline in morality as much as it is a change in morality. The older generation may view the changing views on morality and virtue in a negative way, but the younger generation really should not care. As Judis states, “What is at stake is not the decline of morality but its redefinition – a process in which all Americans, from born-again to New Age to agnostic, are already participating. In the words of Bob Dylan, the times they are a-changin’.