Objective Morality is Disappearing

Historically, Western civilization — rooted in Christianity layered atop Greco-Roman thought — held that moral truth is objective, individuals are responsible for cultivating virtue, and justice flows from doing what is right rather than merely equalizing outcomes: first define the good, then pursue justice. Over the last century, that order has steadily reversed. Today, many institutions operate on the assumption that whatever feels equitable or balances group outcomes is therefore moral, even when achieving that “fairness” requires deception, coercion, collective punishment, or the abandonment of long-standing norms.

Trying to frame it a little tighter, the best I can do is to say I believe Western civilization is quietly moving from a moral system grounded in virtue and objective good to one grounded in outcomes and perceived fairness. When fairness is severed from moral truth, it becomes a tool of power rather than justice.

Michael Smith, A Civilization Losing Its Moral Compass