WHAT do we mean by the words "sin" and "vice," and "crime"?
Sin is disobedience of the laws of God.
Crime is disobedience of the laws of men.
Vice is disobedience of the laws of nature.
I say that there is no such thing as a known law of God: that the
so-called laws of God were made by men in God's name, and that therefore
the word "sin" need trouble us no more. There is no such thing as sin.
I say that since there are bad laws as well as good laws, a crime may
be a good instead of a bad act. For though it is wrong to disobey a good
law, it may be right to disobey a bad law.
And now what do we mean by the words "good" and "bad," "moral" and
"immoral"?
We call an act good when it "makes good"; when its effects are
beneficial. We call an act bad when it "makes bad"; when its effects are
injurious.
What are "morals"? My dictionary says, "the doctrine of man's moral
duties _and social relations_"; and in Crabbe's _Synonyms_ I find: "By
an observance of good morals we _become good members of society_."
The italics are mine. Morals are the standard of social conduct. All
immoral conduct is anti-social, and all anti-social conduct is immoral.
If there were only one man in the world he could not act immorally, for
there would be no other person whom his acts could injure or offend.
Where two persons live together either may act immorally, for he may so
act as to injure or offend his companion.
Any act is immoral and wrong which needlessly injures a fellow creature.
But no act is immoral or wrong which does not directly or indirectly
inflict needless injury upon any fellow creature.
I say, "needless injury"; for it may sometimes be right and necessary to
injure a fellow creature.
If it is wrong to inflict needless injury upon our fellows, it is right
to defend our fellows and ourselves from the attacks of those who would
needlessly injure us.
Any act which inflicts "needless" injury upon a fellow creature is
immoral; but no act which does not inflict needless injury upon a fellow
creature is immoral.
That is the root of my moral code. It may at first seem insufficient,
but I think it will be found to reach high enough, wide enough, and deep
enough to cover all true morality. For there is hardly any act a man can
perform which does not affect a fellow creature.
For instance, if a man takes to drink, or neglects his health, he
injures others as well as himself. For he becomes a less agreeable and a
less useful member of society. He takes more from the common stock, and
gives back less. He may even become an eyesore, or a danger, or a burden
to his fellows. A cricketer who drank, or neglected to practise, would
be acting as immorally towards the rest of the team as he would if
he fielded carelessly or batted selfishly. Because, speaking morally, a
man belongs not only to himself, but also to the whole human race.