Manners, Morals, and Political Correctness

Are manners and morals essentially the same? Are manners merely "small morals," as Thomas Hobbes defines them? Or is there a fundamental distinction?

Moral philosophy is about our understanding of virtue or righteousness. Manners, on the other hand, focus upon public or political behavior. We might draw the distinction between manners and morals by stating that manners are instrumental behaviors while morals are existential. One might differentiate them by pointing out that manners are social behaviors subject to place and time. Manners govern actions. Morals, on the other hand, define how we "ought" to interact.

Since what we do is connected to why we should do it, manners and morals were investigated by both social scientists and philosophers. Aristotle described manners as "practical wisdom" as opposed to philosophical wisdom. Practical or political wisdom is devoted to man's self-interest or what is good for the individual. But what is good for the individual must be evaluated against what is good in general. Practical wisdom is about how a man may obtain something that is good for him. Philosophical wisdom seeks to understand what is good.

Much of our moral awareness derives from our perceptions of what feels good. That is why David Hume argues that we determine virtue or vice by how we feel rather than what we think. Despite a common perceptual origin, morals and manners have developed differently. While we may see moral intentions in a display of good manners, it is often the case that politeness as we observe in politics and diplomacy is little more than lying, obfuscating a darker intention.

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