To what extent do you feel that human beings need rules in order to be moral,
and to what extent do you feel they should be free to adapt their behavior to
different situations? Be specific, giving examples and illustrations.
There is a limit to everything we do, and more often than not, in my opinion, many things in life require common sense and rationale more than moral rules. One simple example is this. A man, M, from the city is driving through a village to get to another town. On his way, he accidentally knocks down a chicken. Coincidentally, that very chicken happened to be the pride of the village as it held a certain symbolic function. M knows that the right thing to do is to look around for the villagers and bear responsibility for his actions as he knew it was not on purpose. But, he also knew that the villagers here were notorious for taking law into their own hands, and if they found out that he had killed their priceless and significant possession, they will probably go amok and kill him as payment for his mistake. Now, the law and morality emphasizes on being responsible and being brave to admit mistakes, but in such situations, it is only logic and common sense that M saves his own life first above all else. Therefore, this shows to what extent human beings ought to adapt their behavior in such circumstances, and when they are forced to put morality aside temporary.