A Brief Examination of The Different Types of Morality

The question of morality is one that has long interested me, and in trying to do my best to provide short answers to the questions of Dr. Ward (at long last), I recently wrote the following as part of my analysis of the definition of good and evil. As such, it would be helpful to look at it, because the definition of good and evil is a more complicated question than most people are willing to admit. After all, what looks good to us may not be, in fact, good. This is more true of those in power than regular people, as the corrupting influence of power is well noted and present in all levels of our society at present, but it is true to some extent for all of us.

Using a rubric which is a common one in the construction of moralty in role playing games, we can separate the question of authority from that of good and evil itself, something that many people out of intellectual laziness or obstinancy refuse to do. There are nine different viewpoints represented by this rubric. Each of these represents the confluence of one’s attitudes towards authority and towards God’s law. Before we can discuss the nature of the true authority of good and evil, and the definition of good and evil, we should discuss these nine viewpoints. Good represents those who have chosen the Lord's side. Evil represents those who wish to oppress and rule over others (i.e. those who have chosen Satan's side). Lawful represents those who are favorable to the existing social order. Chaotic represents those who are hostile to the existing social order. Neutral represents those who are indifferent or ambivalent about God's law and/or the existing social order.

Lawful Good: The Paladin

Lawful good represents the viewpoint of those who have cast their lot with God rather than with Satan, do not view themselves as the arbiters of good and evil, and who are friendly towards authority. The paladin is a soldier enfused with organizational fervor (or zeal), usually for a particular religious order or organization, and is very strong in confidence both about his defintion of goodness and wickedness, as well as the legitimacy of the social order he represents. This type of person is especially prized by societies, as they represent energy, loyalty, and dedication to the existing social structure. They are, in other words, forces of energetic conservatism.

Neutral Good: The Decent Citizen

Those filled with less fervor for the social order but still of soundness with regards to right and wrong belong to this category. People who are neutral good are either indifferent or ambivalent towards the social order—either they do not see the issue as important, or they see problems, but either no workable solution or no true alternative to the way things currently are. As they are good, they believe in what is right, and strongly, but they wish to avoid, whenever possible, issues of administration. While such people are not as highly treasured in societies and organizations as those who are lawful good, they are still valued and hardworking members of society. Upon such decent, moderate, citizenry, all good societies and organizations depend.

Chatoic Good: The Prophet/Reformer

The concept of loyal opposition was made for these unusual and rather iconoclastic figures. The chaotic good is perhaps the most rare of moral types: someone who is enfused with holy fire and passion for what is right, but is present in a highly corrupt and wicked society or organization in need of serious reformation. Organizations and societies do not like this moral type, as they present a dual problem—their goodness and passion are obvious and easily recognizable, and their hostility or suspicion of the existing social order makes them a danger to the existing structure of society, which has been measured and found lacking. Such figures are prophets of doom for societies who have strayed from moral principles and love for fellow man and whose social structures have become rigid and oppressive. As such, they are often persecuted both by the wicked and by the powerful because they strenuously oppose both.

Lawful Neutral: The Organization Man

Those who define good and evil based on their group identity or organization or nation belong in this category. Such people are not actively evil, but rather let their group identity overwelm their commitment to morality. For them, good and evil are abstract principles, and what matters to them is their position within their society or group. It is their country, or family, or organization, right or wrong. Such people are not morally reflective, but are loyal and devoted to their group no matter what. If their group is moral, they may look like decent citizens, but they offer no resistance if their group becomes more and more wicked, such as Germany in the 1930’s.

True Neutral: The Opportunist

The true neutral is looking out for one thing and one thing only—number one. Such people have no firm moral convictions, viewing their own personal opinions as the basis of their morality. They are neither hostile nor friendly to structure, as they are indifferent to the forms of society except insofar as those forms serve to benefit them. They are chameleons, blending in easily wherever they go, always looking for their own success and their own fortune, oblivious to anything except seeking pleasure and/or avoiding pain and suffering. They stand for nothing, but can get along with anything as long as it is friendly or at least neutral, to their own desires and interests.

Chaotic Neutral: The Expatriate

The Chaotic Neutral is someone who is indifferent to good and evil (we may consider such people to be selfish) but who is hostile to their society. In other words, they have left their society because of its wrong, but do not wish to reform society. Rather, they wish to be left alone, even if it means being a person without a society or group to belong to. They may be outsiders wherever they go, but it does not bother them, as they have enough money to suit their own pleasures without the benefit of group identity. They are not willing to suffer for their hostility to the existing social structure, unlike the reformer or prophet, but neither do they wish to destroy their society either, like the terrorist, either.

Lawful Evil: The Nazi/Inquisition

Those who are lawful evil are the most wicked of personality types. That is, they are firm believers in order and structure, but turn that order and structure to wicked ends in order to torment and torture other people. These people are loyally devoted to their particular group, but are firm believers in the usefulness and necessity of barbaric activities to further their group identity. Such people are represented by Hitler, Stalin, Torquemada, and others who have used positions of authority in order to pursue their own dark and wicked desires to oppress others. Socities that fall prey to these figures have a dark destiny: whether those leaders be southern slaveowners as in the period before the Civil War in the US, or in the Catholic hierarchy throughout the Counter Reformation (and with the priestly sex scandals today). Such people as the lawful evil destroy what is good in society, by preserving its structure while killing its spirit and decency.

Neutral Evil: The Sadist/Exploiter

The neutral evil person is not interested in questions about who should rule society. All they are interested is exploiting other people. Thoroughly devoted to swindling and abusing other people, it does not matter to them whether their society is a dictatorship, a democracy, or anything else. All that matters is that they can harm and dominate other people. Such people are an active threat to the members of soceity, as they wish to create empires on the back of the poor and weak and foolish, even if they are no threat to the external structure of the society themselves. They are selfish, but wickedly and aggressively so, not wishing merely that they should be successful, but that others should slave away for their success, even as they care nothing for how that society is organized.

Chaotic Evil: The Terrorist

The chaotic evil personality represents someone who wishes to destroy all so that everything turns to a state of hostile chaos. The Terrorist, like the prophet, is filled with great zeal and indignation about the wickedness of society. However, unlike the prophet, they do not wish to reform society. Rather, they wish to destroy it, by bombing at will, destroying all social order, paralyzing government and filling everyone around them with fear. Such people turn their prodigious energy and talent towards the destruction of a society that has become so hostile as to become intolerable.

There are some important points to remember here. One is that if society is good, then almost everyone would be lawful good, because there would be little just reason to be hostile or ambivalent towards the existing social order. When society is good, there is little need for prophets to protest wrongs in society. It is when societies become evil that the moral gradations become more severe. In fact, the more wicked the society, the more obvious the true moral stance of its citizens. It is wickedness around us that forces us to set our priorities--do we side with law and order or do we side with righteousness, even if that is against the law (and it often is, because leaders are often wicked). In a society that is corrupt those who are lawful good are generally ignorant (whether deliberately or not) of the true state of affairs in that society, because if they were they would either side with the organization (and become lawful neutral or evil) or they would begin to question the existing social structure (and move towards Neutral Good or Chaotic good). Some people do not wish to make that choice. Others of us have it forced upon us.