Chapter 1: The Three Parts of Morality
1.
Lewis writes that morality is concerned with three things: a) fair play, b)
character, and c) eternal accountability, ¶s 3, 4 and 5. Which of the three is the
most pressing concern for you?
A: I am most concerned with the character within the individual.
For, in Lewis's description, of these three aspects of moral concern, the first two
seem to be equal, whether in the case of the naval fleet or the band. But I think that if a
person's own inner character is not good and his appearance is inconsistent, then his
morality will definitely not be good, and it will greatly affect the other two points. As
Lewis said, there is no point in teaching a ship how to avoid collisions with others if it is
itself too dilapidated to sail. So I think the inner character of the individual is first and
foremost important.
2.
Many people who think of morality just focus on fair play. What is the problem in
ignoring the other two parts of moral- ity, ¶s 7 and 8?
A:
If a person only focuses on the relationship between people, he will ignore his own
problems.
First of all, if this person's heart is dirty and dark, how can he face others in a
friendly way, and how can he live in harmony with others. Also quoting the words of
Lewis used in the previous question, it may be more obvious if it is replaced by a band: If
a musician’s own playing skills are not good, how can he integrate into this band?
Second, if he says, "I didn't do anyone any harm by doing this, so I'm not wrong."
This satisfies the first thing about ethics, but why not think about it: Is it good to do this
or should it be done? That's right, people are born with a sense of mission, which is
bestowed by the Creator, and people should also abide by this mission.
However, as Lewis said, most people nowadays focus on the first point - the
relationship between people, but on the second point - themselves - they begin to
diverge, and on the third point even more It has completely become two types of people,
Christians and non-Christians. As a result, the most essential thing about being a human
being has been forgotten. Too much emphasis on the first point will cause people to lose
the opportunity to abide by morality.
3.
How does the illustration of a naval fleet help explain how each aspect of morality
is mutually independent ¶s 6, 7, 8 and 9?
A: I can't understand the independence between them, it seems wrong to me, the
relationship between the three things included in morality is close, once separated it is
wrong.
First of all, in a fleet, if a ship thinks that it will not collide with other ships, it is
okay no matter what.
Second, if a ship itself is dilapidated or even non-driveable, it doesn't need to
worry about colliding with other ships, because it doesn't make sense.
As can be seen from these two examples, you can't skip one of them to see the
other, because it's incomplete. Lewis gave this example to let us see their impact when
they are independent of each other, and Wrong presentation, none of this is complete
morality.
Finally, we must realize that we are creatures, we need to act according to the
commands of our creator, and the three elements of morality are what we should do,
each of which is an integral part of morality.