Dualism of Traditional Spiritual and Moral Values

Abstract

The problem of traditional spiritual and moral values, the relevance of which has increased significantly in recent years, both at the everyday and expert levels, requires its own doctrinal understanding. Despite the numerous publications in this field, there are practically no studies that critically analyze generally accepted approaches to certain definitions.  The purpose of this study is to provide a brief analysis of the phenomenon of traditional spiritual and moral values and their connection with universal ones. As a result of the research, it was revealed that traditions, as a social phenomenon with the characteristic of self-organization, have a very broad understanding and develop over a long time; as a model of behavior, they facilitate individual and social perception of certain events and form a reaction to them. Traditional spiritual and moral values have not a legal, but rather an individual, personal character, which in a rule-of-law democratic state limits its interference in this area of social existence. At the same time, traditions embodying the content of universal values, which include the most important moral concepts of what is due, reflected in the doctrine of natural law and the institution of human rights, combining the objectivity of the law and the subjectivism of morality, require unconditional support from public authorities. Placing the universal good at the foundation of the system of spiritual and moral values, reflecting their supremacy in traditions, allows society to achieve progress on the path of its social evolution. At the same time, traditions that do not take into account the conditions of the changing environment, and thus hinder progressive transformations, create unfavorable conditions for social evolution and require revision. The relation of positive law to universal values is an expression of the legal essence of the state, its ability to adequately respond to modern challenges and threats, to ensure the well-being and safety of citizens.