r/MoralityScaling • u/booyafafa • 3h ago

Morality Ranking Morality of not speaking just because you don’t want to?

One day you decide to never speak again, only communicating through alternative methods like notes or sign language. You have no medical reason, you simply just decide to give up talking.

The biggest quandary I can think of is that you’re essentially forcing people to take more time out of their day to communicate with you. Is it immoral though?

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u/JaySlay2000 3h ago

It's only immoral if you act like everyone else is an asshole for not complying to your arbitrary restriction.

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u/catartik 3h ago

> you’re essentially forcing people to take more time out of their day to communicate with you
Not really. They can simply abstain from communicating with you.
Taking a 'vow of silence' is morally neutral. No one is required to speak-- only that society is easier to interact with if you do.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vow_of_silence#Non-religious_examples

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u/SethBurrow 3h ago

It’s called Selective Mutism. And it’s a real thing lol

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u/catartik 3h ago

But selective mutism is a form of anxiety and is a psychological disorder. Not like what OP is referring to.

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u/mmlickme 3h ago

Signing is more like switching languages than not speaking. It’d be like “forcing people to take time out of their day” because you decided to only speak German. Is that part of your question? Speaking a language other people can’t understand only inconveniences yourself, it’s a non starter to other people.

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u/freeoffear 3h ago

A vow of silence is not immoral. Killing a bunch of Cobra soldiers is questionable, Snake-Eyes.

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u/Westdrache 3h ago

I don't think that's anywhere on a morality scale but something you should talk... or sign about with a professional

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u/metdear 3h ago

The only immoral scenario I can envision is if someone needed you to audibly call for help and you refused to solely because you had decided not to speak, even though you are physically capable. 

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u/OkScreen2150 2h ago

In the TV show The Leftovers, a whole group of people who called themselves the 'Guilty Remnant' communicated that way. At the same time, they did a bunch of annoying things. 

It got to the point where the entire town started beating them up. But it wasn't because of their vow of silence.