[Lalwendë]

And to follow on from what tgwbs says about how people have struggled to change the morality 'accepted' by society, what about those who go against the grain of a wider society which is, according to them, immoral? What about resistance fighters?

And we also have to think about who sets the moral tone of a society. Is it the majority opinion? Is it done by consensus? Or is it set by Authority? Which Authority?

These are difficult questions which absolutism only prevents us from answering intelligently. All we can do if we are absolutist is run around in circles like dogs chasing our tails.

Personally, I always bear Gandalf's words to Frodo in mind about not being hasty to judge. This is one of the most important things Tolkien tells us.

Maybe those 'moral truths' which we hold most dear are the ones which we ought to question the most? There are things which I strongly believe are wrong, but merely my thinking them to be wrong doesn't achieve anything, it certainly doesn't help me to understand those who take the opposite view. Challenging our own moral assumptions does not mean we will end up with an amoral society as decisions will always be reached on what is best given the circumstances, but it does better equip us to be tolerant and to see situations from all sides. Not doing this leads to conflict. The Cold War was all about this, two 'sides' unable to see life as it was on the opposing side, unable to simply stop and question if they really did have it right, but all too ready to annihilate the world in the pursuit of defending their own moral agendas and 'strongly held beliefs'.