What's in a name?

I suppose it could be helpful for me to explain why I named the blog (im)moral republic.  I thought long and hard about it before I did, and I chose the name because a) we live in a republic b) it was founded on morality to be a beacon of morality and c) it is, on the whole much less moral than immoral these days.  The design of the title, and the title itself, reflected this thought process to me. 


The bridge behind the title could be seen to symbolize the path that leads either from morality to immorality or back vice versa. I really just chose it because I think it looks cool. 


Since I am founding the character of this blog on the words "moral" and "immoral," I should preface the ongoing stream of thought with a definition of terms, as I learned to do specifically in my sophomore year of high school. 


To quote dictionary.com at length, "moral" means:

–adjective

1.

of, pertaining to, or concerned with the principles or rules of right conduct or the distinction between right and wrong;ethical: moral attitudes.

2.

expressing or conveying truths or counsel as to right conduct, as a speaker or a literary work; moralizing: a moral novel.

3.

founded on the fundamental principles of right conduct rather than on legalities, enactment, or custom: moral obligations.

4.

capable of conforming to the rules of right conduct: a moral being.

5.

conforming to the rules of right conduct (opposed to immoral): a moral man.

6.

virtuous in sexual matters; chaste.

7.

of, pertaining to, or acting on the mind, feelings, will, or character: moral support.

8.

resting upon convincing grounds of probability; virtual: a moral certainty.

–noun

9.

the moral teaching or practical lesson contained in a fable, tale, experience, etc.

10.

the embodiment or type of something.

11.

morals, principles or habits with respect to right or wrong conduct.

"Immoral" is accepted as meaning generally the opposite. 


Now, all of that is like throwing a generous handful of words at a dart board in hopes that some will stick on the bullseye. Let it suffice to say then, for the purposes of the blog, that my understanding of the concept of morality rests largely on the book of Proverbs (and really the whole New Testament, and really the rest of the Bible). Of course, there will be plenty of opportunities for delving into this in greater detail later.