I think Brooks slightly missed the mark here: "Today morality has been privatized and left up to the individual." I think he meant to say Today we no longer trust great thought leaders of the kind we once consulted.
By definition moral decisions belong to the individual. Otherwise they become some other and lesser kind of decision: social, legal, peer pressure....
For comparison, suppose I said your vote in elections has unfortunately been "privatized and left to the individual." The mistake is clearer now. No, your vote is always yours alone, whoever you may wisely consult in deciding your vote.
Thank you.
I think Brooks slightly missed the mark here: "Today morality has been privatized and left up to the individual." I think he meant to say Today we no longer trust great thought leaders of the kind we once consulted.
By definition moral decisions belong to the individual. Otherwise they become some other and lesser kind of decision: social, legal, peer pressure....
For comparison, suppose I said your vote in elections has unfortunately been "privatized and left to the individual." The mistake is clearer now. No, your vote is always yours alone, whoever you may wisely consult in deciding your vote.