Over centuries the concept of morality and ethics, good vs evil, has been a slippery one as it falls in the realm of subjective experience. I am by no means an expert or scholar in this arena, but I can offer some musings.

We are born helpless and dependent. At first, we accept external standards and conform to sets of rules based on our culture, society, family, and institutions like religion, law and politics. As we grow and mature and continue to experience life we can either continue to accept an external standard of morality and ethics such as a set of rules and laws or religious principles, or continue to logically question, develop and revise our personal concept of morality. This is not, in my opinion, an either/or proposition but rather a continuum wherein our reliance on one method or the other is ongoing and fluidly changing as we grow and develop new sk**ls and acquire new information.

Different people have different levels of tolerance for change and the need for constant revision versus permanence and possible stagnation. I suspect it is this aspect which gives rise to debate and tension among different individuals and groups.

As far as defining an act as moral or not, I suspect it may be, as has been said of pornography, I can't give you an exact definition, but I know it when I see it.

With human inter actions some actions are good for the group other actions have less value or of bad value.

So groups inter act & become larger groups & what is good for the larger groups becomes the standard.

It is not that we seek to be moral or immoral. We just seek to do the things that are best for the most of the group.

Then we judge that what we are doing as being the better way to do things. Which we label as being moral.

Just putting the words in a different way but hoping that it says much the same thing.

Over centuries the concept of morality and ethics, good vs evil, has been a slippery one as it falls in the realm of subjective experience. I am by no means an expert or scholar in this arena, but I can offer some musings.

We are born helpless and dependent. At first, we accept external standards and conform to sets of rules based on our culture, society, family, and institutions like religion, law and politics. As we grow and mature and continue to experience life we can either continue to accept an external standard of morality and ethics such as a set of rules and laws or religious principles, or continue to logically question, develop and revise our personal concept of morality. This is not, in my opinion, an either/or proposition but rather a continuum wherein our reliance on one method or the other is ongoing and fluidly changing as we grow and develop new sk**ls and acquire new information.

Different people have different levels of tolerance for change and the need for constant revision versus permanence and possible stagnation. I suspect it is this aspect which gives rise to debate and tension among different individuals and groups.

As far as defining an act as moral or not, I suspect it may be, as has been said of pornography, I can't give you an exact definition, but I know it when I see it.

"Therefore the Lord waits to be gracious to you, and therefore he exalts himself to show mercy to you. For the Lord is a God of justice; blessed are all those who wait for him." Isaiah 30:18 ESV

"Learn to do good; seek justice, correct oppression; bring justice to the fatherless, plead the widow's cause." Isaiah 1:17 ESV

“Thus says the Lord of hosts, Render true judgments, show kindness and mercy to one another," Zechariah 7:9 ESV

In the three examples above, it is quite clear, if we are to believe the Bible, that mercy and forgiveness, kindness and love are instrinsic qualities of Justice. This is so because "God is love" and justice merely a characteristic of love. Love is the law in the Bible. Justice, as a facet of love, functions to restore relationships between people and God. Justice is first and foremost to be restorative, which helps regain the peace and discourage future harm.
Justice is also quite clearly shown to be caring for the widows and orphans. What law is being applied here? Love. Rendering true judgments is showing kindness and mercy. What law is being applied here? Love.

Don't stop there.

Romans 13:9-

9 For this, “You shall not commit adultery, You shall not murder, You shall not steal, You shall not covet,” and if there is any other commandment, it is summed up in this saying, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” 10 Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.
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Love doesn't just mean be nice and warm and fuzzy. It involves and includes keeping the commandments. Fulfilling the law, obeying the commandments is the method of expressing love.