Question

"In a country where we value freedom, we must not attempt to legislate morality. Especially the morality that is simply the concern of the individual towards themselves." - Alan Watts

Open discussion.....GO!

Answer 1

I'm not sure what your hoping to be discussed. Don't get me wrong, it's a great quote! But it's a little self contained.

I guess I can add my 2 cents worth though.
I value freedom over pretty much everything else and I also agree that you can't legislate morality. But there is a great quote that I always think of "Your right to swing your fist ends where my nose begins." ~Matt Dillahunty

What it basically says is even if we can't legislate what is morally right and wrong, we can legislate what people have the rights to do. "Your rights end where my rights begin."~MD

Answer 2

I'll bite. Morality requires legislation for a very important reason - there are people who do not abide to the standard moral practices.
First, moral law is different in every country, to varying degree.
Take an extreme example; certain native Papua New Guinean tribes believed that if someone they knew came to them in a dream, it meant that their body had been stolen by evil spirits. It was then their duty to kill and eat that person. In their culture, it was the correct or moral thing to do, because they believed that eating this person would save the rest of them.
As I said, that is an extreme example, but there are differences between what is morally correct in the Western world and what is morally correct in other areas of the world. Furthermore even within Western countries there are differences.

This is why it is important for every country to legislate their moral code. Say someone from the middle east visits the USA with his wife. His wife has sex with another man. Culturally it would be acceptable for HIM to beat the living hell out of her. In the USA, that is not culturally acceptable. If this is not written into US law, then the man has a loophole "In my country it is ok, I was following MY moral code".
You see where I am going here?

I have other examples if you wish me to continue.

Answer 3

@Craig...I agree, it ought not to be attempted to legislate morality. But by our cultural/mythological definiton of what it means to be human, we have always made it a point to legislate morality...from the Code of Hammurabi to the present. Even if we manage not to legislate is governmentally, our mythogy and religions will contine to do so, they always have. Its what we believe about humanity that needs revision, not just our current legislation.
@iainmacb...I agree with how you're making your point. The tribal cultures of Papua New Guinea define their morality/ethics by what has continued to work for them throughout their generations, they don't have to "legislate" it, it's part of their culture, their social structure, because it works for them...even if it happens to seems murderous to us. It may even be considered murderous by another tribe that live in contact with them and that particular cultural belief doesn't exist within the culture of that tribe. But they don't have "legislate" it out of their culture, it just doesn't exist in their social structure. And they don't have to worry about being corrupted by that "muderous" tribe's belief, not unless the other tribe is looking to change their cultural/mythological beliefs...and even if they were that would be a generational process.
It seems that our cultures legislation of morality is an attempt to manage and control not only our idea of what human nature is but more so the affects that our cultural mythology and upbrining has on human behavior...our perception and more importantly our experience of the human condition. As it's been studied, it's been recognized that tribal cultures more accurately meet the behavioral needs of its people; it's been well noted that our culture does not. It's then that the need arises to legislate our behavior rather than admit that we don't have a culture that meets our behavioral needs. Change our culture and eventually our experiences as human beings, there will then be an automatic change to the need for any kind of legislation. Though, that too is a generational process.