Philosophy

Ethics is a description of human behavior using moral principles and values. The actions and decisions that people make as well as the perceptions of others can be evaluated using these moral principles and values.

With the increasing connection between moral values and social relations, the concept of moral society perceptions has received attention in recent years. Researchers have formulated several approaches and hypothesis to explain how societal perceptions on moral behavior results to social separation, prejudice and discrimination. In addition researchers have proposed arguments on how the moral and ethical perceptions degenerates to hate crimes and violence especially given the increasing globalization that enhances human and cross-cultural interactions and competition for resources.

Social Separation
There is increasing evidence that moral and ethical perceptions leads to social separation. The mechanism for this process has been explained by examining family perceptions and their association to loneliness and isolation. Social separation refers to the isolation of individuals or groups of people based on moral and ethical perceptions. Sociologists have established that one of the issues that separate social groups is their perceptions on moral and ethical issues. Evidently, societies express particular values based on moral perceptions. This may lead to exclusion and isolation of other groups and individuals. The social exclusion contributes to further behaviors and emotions which exacerbates the situation.

Prejudice and discrimination
Moral prejudice refers to preformed perceptions and beliefs towards other people based on social, racial and religious differences among other factors. However, moral societys perceptions may predispose prejudice by involving positive or negative beliefs and attitudes. These beliefs and perceptions fuel prejudice when societal attitudes and values influence the actions and behavior of individuals or social groups. (Haslam, 2007). For example, a community that perceives itself morally superior will tend to form unreasonable attitudes towards other communities perceived to be morally inferior. When these attitudes manifest further, they degenerate into discrimination. This happens when individuals and groups of people isolate the other based on these moral and ethical perceptions. It is therefore imperative that moral societal perceptions fuel prejudice and discrimination. This concept has been illustrated in explaining discrimination in social institutions including schools and religious bodies. The societal perceptions on moral and ethical behavior of the other fuels discrimination and isolation. Negative self perceptions fuels prejudice and discrimination.

Hate crimes and violence
In some instances, moral societys perceptions and values may results to hate crimes and violence . This happens when individuals or social groups use their perceptions on the moral and ethical positions to physically harm others perceived to have a different opinion. This can be exemplified by the increase in hate crimes against individuals or groups with opposing perceptions of moral and ethical behavior. For example societal moral perceptions have been expressed in social institutions like schools where, religious and racial perceptions have led to hate crimes and violence.

This explains some of the violence committed against African slaves, black Americans and other minorities in countries where societal perceptions on moral and ethical behavior where dominated by negative attitudes towards the minority groups. It is therefore notable that hate crimes and violence are practiced in places where a group exists as a minority compared to the other.