Benjamin Berry
Life Journey
10/17/2006
Social Responsibility
The earth is a stage where social interactions set the plot of every endearing moment or devastating tragedy. A word of encouragement or a spout of spite is doubtless the catalyst for irrevocable benefits or harms. It is the correlation of deeds of commission and omission with their natural consequences in relation to others that compel individuals to develop a conceptualization of social responsibility.
The first most important element in regards to social responsibility is that social interaction and their consequences are not optional. They are inextricable aspects of life; “it is not an ethical ‘ought’ that conduct should be social. It is social, whether bad or good” (Dewey 17). Each day individuals awake to commit to a set of intellectual habits. These include such activities as showering, eating breakfast, and driving to work. What is often not on their minds is how each of those actions affects the lives of others indirectly. Taking a shower diminishes water supply, eating breakfast provides work for breakfast food producers, and good driving skills prevent accidents. Each individual is then accountable to their social interactions with others even if they do not interact with others directly.
Recognizing that social interactions are a fact of life is not the only important aspect in regards to social responsibility. The second most important element is that individuals must develop a clear understanding of what constitutes a moral action. It is easy to recognize that individuals are responsible for the actions they commit. What is not always easy to come to a consensus on is what actions are moral. Dewey suggests that actions are a result of habit and that one’s social environment influences the individual’s habit. For him, “The moral problem is that of modifying the factors that now influence future results” (Dewey 19). The way a child was treated when they were young might predicate how they behave when they are older. This idea that the result of an action determines whether it is moral is important and valid. Yet, it must be recognized that this seemingly universal moral code is always shaded by the context of what is “good” to each community based upon various belief systems. Still, the concept that how one’s actions shape the actions of others is an important moral consideration in determining what is moral.
Similarly, it is important not only for the individual to recognize what deeds of commission are moral in regards to social responsibility, but also what deeds of omission are moral. Dewey suggests, “Non-resistance to evil which takes the form of paying no attention to it is a way of promoting it” (17). While an individual may not be actively taking part in a crime, they may be doing so passively by not reporting the crime or by not taking some other reactionary measure in response to the crime. Deeds of omission are even more difficult to come to consensus on in terms of whether they are moral or not. This is true because while one can actually observe the result of a deed of commission it is not possible to do so with deeds of omission. It is only conjecture to state what would have happened if the individual had acted. While there may be no real formula for determining which of these types of deeds are moral, it is important for the individual to recognize that deeds of omission can be immoral. It is important to take them into account when developing an understanding of social responsibility.
Finally, the last element that is essential to an understanding of social responsibility is that adults live within the context of their community by choice. This is a form of commitment. When an individual takes part in a group, family, or community there is an aspect of commitment involved. An individual can choose to leave a community but by default they are committing to the environment they are moving to. To this extent, morality might be relativistic. When individuals marry there are moral rules that apply to them that did not apply previously. These may include rules such as no flirting, never leave the toilet seat up, and no eating on the couch. Every circumstance varies individually. This suggests that individuals are only influenced by their environment as much as they choose to participate in it. However, not committing to any environment is not a possibility in as much as the person remains living.
For me as a Christian, developing an understanding of social responsibility is important. This is what is meant by the familiar phrase of living in the world but not of it. While Christians must commit to the environment in which they live, they also commit to an environment not of this world. There is a moral obligation for them as much as anyone to abide by cultural precedents. Yet, in as much as those precedents violate their higher commitment, they must follow their higher moral value.
The essence of morality in terms of social responsibility is that individuals recognize that everyone participates in some form of social interaction and therefore hold some responsibility for their actions. It is a further recognition that it is not only what we do but what we don’t do that can benefit or harm others. Beyond this, it is the recognition that social responsibility means that living within a community is intrinsically linked to a commitment to it.
Dewey, John. Human Nature And Conduct. Henry Holt And Company. New York, New
York 1922.
