Defining Moral Qualities

• Moral qualities are those personal characteristics that determine whether or not one is a moral person. There is no universal conception of moral qualities, nor is it possible to identify a set of characteristics that all religions, cultures and individuals consider to be moral. Rather, how we identify moral qualities is tied to a wide and complex system of beliefs, behaviors and cultural perspectives.
  
  

Morality and Moral Qualities

• How we define moral qualities depends on how we define morality, or the "code of conduct" by which we determine right and wrong behavior. Our moral beliefs may be tied to religious belief, education, social upbringing, or individual conviction, all of which influence the way in which we identify moral qualities.
  
  

Identifying Moral Qualities

• Which personal characteristics can be considered moral vary among ideological and intellectual traditions. A religion, for example, may define moral qualities as those beliefs or practices associated with its particular doctrine; from that perspective, moral behavior may be defined as that which upholds the values of the religion, even at the expense of other people. Humanists, by contrast, may see moral qualities as those which contribute to the good of society as a whole. Anthropologists often argue that the specific qualities we determine as moral are an expression of social or cultural values, and, thus, one cannot identify a universal concept of moral qualities. In United States law, an individual's moral qualities are determined by other people's opinion of his or her character (hence, character witnesses).
  
  

Where Do Moral Qualities Come From?

• There is much debate as to whether or not moral qualities are learned or innate; that is, are humans born with the concept of right and wrong, or do culture and society determine moral values? Naturally, the answer to this question depends on whether or not we see morality as universal or culturally specific. However, the belief that humans are born with moral qualities does not necessarily mean that morality is the reflection of a universal good. Some evolutionary biologists argue that moral beliefs are the outcome of evolutionary processes that ensure the survival of the species.