Can one forget the difference between right and wrong?

I don't think you can forget the difference between right and wrong, you either know something is right or you know it's wrong.

We are conditioned from an early age to know the difference, whether we choose to accept that fact, is up to us.

this question is just too broad. first we must find a mutual understanding of what right and wrong really are. I assume what people in america think is right differs from what people in india think is right and wrong and vice versa and with any culture or group of people I am not picking these countries specifically. as for your question, it is too broad to have any answer. Lets assume you mean in the american culture. well now we've narrowed it down but I am sure that we dont all have the EXACT same beleifs of moral right and wrong. Dont forget the beleif of morals is just that, beleifs, and what is a beleif? one step below knowledge for knowledge is nothing but a mutual beleif. So lets narrow it down some more. Im sure we both agree there are universal beleifs of moral judgement ie. one shall not kill another human being.....well I just ran into another problem. In the aztec culture people have been sacrificed all the time. the sacrificees even looked foward to it because they were the one that was chosen. would you say that they were morally wrong for killing these people?? well then you would be the out cast because everyone in that culture had a moral sense that this was the right thing to be done. So as you see questions of morals is a very controversial one and one that I beleive will never be solved because of the way the worlds societies are set up(different nations, cultures = different beleifs) Im not trying to sound like a no it all or put you down for asking a question like that. It's just my two cents. what do you think?

come on guys this is philosophy not church. no offense, you can beleive in god and still pursue philosophy. Just dont give every answer with, "God did it"

Except the really obvious things like killing etc., there are many situations where it's really difficult to decide what is the right and the wrong thing to do.

But you ask if one can completely forget what the difference between right and wrong is. That would be like forgetting how to walk or talk, or how to read and write, or how to ride a bycicle.

So if you know some people who can't understand the difference between right and wrong, they probably never have.

moral relativism holds that what is considered "right" in one situation, is not necessarily "right" in a very similiar situation, nor an identicle situation at a different point in time. This view is similiar to Nihilism, but it a little more "optimistic" as Nihilism holds that there is no such thing as "right" and "wrong", and moral relativism that there is such thing as "right" and "wrong" but they are 'fluid' in the sense that they are in a perpetual state of change.

The terms "right" and "wrong" are situational specific, not constant. When there is a variation in situation, there will be a variation in the frame-work of what is "right" and what is "wrong". For instance, the concept "it is wrong to kill another human being", in the situation of walking down the street and seeing someone riding a bicycle it would in fact be "wrong" to kill that person. However, if you were walking down the street, and the person on the bicycle stopped, got off his bike, grabbed a hammer and started running at you wailing his arms screaming "I'm going to bash your face in!", it wouldn't necessarily be considered "wrong" to kill the person, as it would be in self defense. There are very few, universally constant "wrong" and "right" acts.

In this sense, one can never really know the difference between right and wrong, and therefore can not 'forget' the difference.

As with much of human wisdom, within the population you'll find varying degrees of understanding. the writers of this book and readers that follow this advice are misguided. Similarly, recently I've seen suggestions that the hyper-sexualization of kids through TV and magazine imagery that they soak in is actually a good thing(!) to be encouraged. We need to let kids be kids (and start being parents instead of cool friends)

a diffrence between right on wrong is a matter of opionion and perspecctive...i may think something is wrong but you may think that its right....

however, basic things like stealing and lieing are wrong and hopefully people with good manners and values can understand that. there isn't a fine line between right and wrong there but knowing how unpredectable life really is there are some circumstances where the line between when something can be right or wrong seems soo fine and not there that someone may "forget the diffrence between right and wrong"

i guess that depends on ur perception!!

Unfortunately, yes. Who uses lies as a method shortly forget the difference between right and wrong.

I think it's more common for people to not consider the question. We've stopped asking if things are "right or wrong". We've started asking dissimilar questions like "is it liberal or conservative?", "is it popular or alternative?", "is it classic or modern?".

If you're able to ignore right and wrong questions by focusing on these other distinctions, you can do the wrong thing a lot and find a way to justify it.

In certain situations, right and wrong is only in perception. You can't necessarily 'forget' the difference. But you can just have a different perception.

when someone chooses Wrong actions ..and does this contineously then the line between right and wrong becomes blurred to them so yes after time they can in a sense forget!!