Morality is an Objective Construct

Note:This account is managed by multiple experienced debaters. We may therefore refer to ourselves in the plural. Thanks for your understanding.Format:We would like to thank our opponent for(hopefully) accepting this debate, and hope we can have a productive, and above all, friendly dialogue. Before we get into the rest of the speech, we would like to define the structure of the argument:Round 1. Opening arguments (new points allowed)Round 2. Refutations and further arguments(new points allowed)Round 3. Refutations and further arguments(new points allowed)Round 4. Refutations (No new arguments allowed, new evidence allowed)Round 5. Closing refutations and weighing the debate (No new arguments allowed, no new evidence allowed)Definitions:The relevant terms to the debate are defined as follows:Judgement:A proposition stating something believed or asserted.Morality:A particular system of judgement utilized to determine what actions should or should not be taken.Subjective:Expressing or dealing with facts or conditions which may be perceived based on personal feelings, prejudices, or interpretations.Objective:Expressing or dealing with facts or conditions as perceived without distortion by personal feelings, prejudices, or interpretations.Arguments:We bring two arguments this round, one evidence-based and one logical, as to why morality is subjective; they are as follows:1.Morality is subjective because it is influenced by circumstance.2.A logical proof as to why morality is subjective.Argument 1:Morality is subjective because it is influenced by circumstance. We will prove this assertion through the use of multiple sub-points.1) Morality is influenced by culture.Cultural circumstances can lead people to take differing moral positions. For example, many orthodox Islamic groups mandate the use of the hijab to mask the features of female individuals on the basis of morality, whereas liberal or secular families may not have such a stipulation. Both moral positions are often a product of their cultural environment.2) Morality is influenced by time period.With the passage of time can come changes in the popularity and orthodoxy of certain moral positions. If morality were objective, this would not be true, as moral positions would be clearly evident to all, regardless of circumstance. One example of this change would be the comparison of Inquisition-style religious interaction compared to that of today. Religious persecution is certainly far less prevalent and accepted in a modern-day developed society, and has been widely replaced with a more tolerant mindset.3) Morality is influenced by the personal experiences of the beholder.Personal experiences and circumstances may also shape moral outlooks. For example, a woman who was impregnated through rape would likely view the morality of abortion differently than the average person. Gay individuals or those with gay parents would be similarly inclined to affirm the morality of gay marriage or other LGBT issues.Now that the point has been clearly substantiated, we may look into the implications of morality being influenced by various circumstances. According to the previously-stated definition of the term "subjective", something is considered subjective if it is influenced by personal feelings, prejudices, etc. These prejudices can clearly be developed due to the circumstances stated: personal experiences can lead someone to bias, etc. In short, the effect of circumstances on moral viewpoints play perfectly into the classification of morality as subjective. DISCLAIMER:In this argument, some generalizations were used. We would like to clarify that, of course, not all Muslims are anti-abortion, or all Catholics anti-gay marriage. Moral variation exists within all groups(which is only further evidence for subjective morality, as it indicates further variation based on the individual). Regardless, these blanket statements were used for the purpose of indicating moral inclinations due to circumstance.Argument 2:Our second argument is presented in the form of a logical proof as to why morality is subjective. To refute this argument, our opponent must show that it’s logic is flawed, or that it applies to objective morality as well.Posit 1: All systems of judgement must be based on individual belief/interpretation.(Definition of judgement)Posit 2: Morality is a system of judgement.(Definition of morality)Posit 3: Therefore, morality is based on individual belief/interpretation.(Transitive property of logic)Posit 4: Therefore, morality is subjective.(Definition of subjective)Ultimately, these points prove beyond any reasonable doubt that morality is an entirely subjective concept. We look forward to our opponent’s response.Thank you.