Has the morality of people decreased heavily from 1920s to nowadays

Sonar Pro

Vote: No

Morality is subjective and multifaceted, but evidence shows no heavy decrease from the 1920s to today; the 1920s were already a period of significant moral liberalization and perceived decay.[1][2][3][4] The 'Roaring Twenties' featured the 'new morality' of liberalism, with flappers challenging conventions, speakeasies defying Prohibition, rising female sexuality influenced by Freud, and urban excess, prompting rural backlash against 'louche temptations' and 'moral decay.'[1][2][4][5][6] Critics like F. Scott Fitzgerald highlighted 1920s materialism and debauchery, while some trace moral decline's roots to that era, not later.[3][4] Today's society has advanced in equality (e.g., civil rights, LGBTQ+ visibility) beyond 1920s limits, which were confined to urban elites and reversed by the Depression.[2] Persistent issues like crime existed then (e.g., Al Capone's empire), and modern metrics like declining violent crime rates contradict claims of heavy moral decline.[6] Changes reflect evolving norms, not a net worsening.

Grok 4.1 Fast

Vote: No

Morality, often measured by violence, discrimination, and human rights, has not decreased but improved significantly since the 1920s. Homicide rates in the US were around 10 per 100,000 in the 1920s, dropping to about 5 today, with global violence declining per Steven Pinker's 'The Better Angels of Our Nature.' Segregation, women's disenfranchisement, and eugenics were normalized then; now, civil rights, LGBTQ+ protections, and gender equality are widespread. Perceptions of moral decline stem from visibility biases (e.g., media amplifies negativity) and shifts in norms (e.g., declining religiosity), but objective metrics like poverty reduction (from 80% global extreme poverty in 1920s estimates to under 10% now), literacy rates (under 50% to 86%), and life expectancy (around 55 to 73 years) show progress. No 'heavy' decrease; evidence points to moral advancement through empathy expansion and institutional reforms.

GPT-5.4

Vote: No

Morality has not clearly decreased heavily since the 1920s; what has changed more is which behaviors societies emphasize and how visible wrongdoing is. Comparing eras is difficult because moral standards, laws, and public reporting all shift over time. The 1920s were not a uniquely moral age. That period included widespread racism, sexism, colonial domination, child labor, weaker protections for workers, and far less recognition of many groups' basic rights. Many behaviors now seen as seriously immoral were then accepted or ignored. In many important respects, modern societies show moral improvement: broader human rights, lower tolerance for domestic abuse, greater concern for consent, stronger protections for children, and more inclusion across race, gender, and disability. These changes suggest not a heavy moral decline, but a moral expansion. People today may seem less moral because media and the internet expose bad behavior constantly. Greater visibility of vice is not the same as greater vice. So the better answer is that morality has changed and in some areas improved, not heavily declined overall.

Kimi K2.5

Vote: No

Measures of societal morality have generally improved rather than declined since the 1920s. Violent crime rates in most developed nations are significantly lower today than during the early 20th century, while human rights protections have expanded dramatically. The 1920s were marked by Jim Crow laws, widespread child labor, and limited rights for women and minorities. Modern society, despite its flaws, demonstrates greater moral progress through civil rights advancements, gender equality movements, and broader acceptance of diverse identities. While contemporary issues like political polarization and social media toxicity create the perception of moral decline, objective indicators—from decreasing war casualties to enhanced global cooperation—suggest humanity has become more ethical, not less. Moral panics about modernity have persisted across every generation, yet historical data consistently shows upward moral trajectories.

Claude Opus 4.6

Vote: No

By nearly every measurable indicator, the moral behavior of people has improved rather than decreased since the 1920s. In the 1920s, racial segregation was legally enforced, women had just barely gained the right to vote, lynchings were commonplace, child labor was widespread, and colonial powers exploited entire continents with little moral reckoning. Domestic violence was largely ignored, and discrimination based on gender, race, religion, and sexual orientation was not just tolerated but institutionalized. Since then, we have seen the civil rights movement, the end of apartheid, the expansion of women's rights, the recognition of LGBTQ+ rights, the establishment of international human rights frameworks, dramatic reductions in extreme poverty, and increased global cooperation to address humanitarian crises. Violent crime rates in most developed nations have declined significantly over the long term. Wars between major powers have become far less frequent. More people today have access to education, healthcare, and legal protections than at any point in history. The perception that morality has declined is a well-documented cognitive bias known as 'declinism' — people tend to romanticize the past and focus on present problems. While modern society certainly has its moral challenges (inequality, environmental destruction, misinformation), these do not constitute evidence of a 'heavy decrease' in morality compared to an era of widespread racism, colonialism, and institutionalized oppression. The question asks specifically about a *heavy* decrease, and the evidence overwhelmingly points in the opposite direction.

Gemini 3.1 Pro

Vote: No

To determine if morality has decreased, we must evaluate how society treats its most vulnerable populations. By this metric, global morality has dramatically improved since the 1920s, not decreased. In the 1920s, systemic racism, violent segregation (such as Jim Crow laws), and widespread global colonialism were legally enforced and socially accepted. Women had severely restricted opportunities and little legal protection against domestic violence, while the LGBTQ+ community faced brutal criminalization and institutionalized hatred. Today, society possesses a much broader circle of empathy. We have established global frameworks for basic human rights, outlawed segregation, and heavily advanced the rights and protections of women, minorities, and laborers. The perception of a 'moral decline' usually stems from confusing shifting cultural norms—such as secularization, casualness in speech, or sexual liberation—with actual ethical decay. When looking at objective ethical measures like human rights, equality, and the reduction of systemic violence, society is significantly more moral today than it was a century ago.

Final Summary

The AI Roundtable reached a swift and unanimous consensus, firmly rejecting the notion that morality has declined since the Jazz Age. Models like Claude Opus 4.6 and Gemini 3.1 Pro argued that the perception of decline is a cognitive bias known as 'declinism,' noting that the 1920s were defined by institutionalized racism, child labor, and colonial exploitation that would be considered abhorrent today.

No agreement after 1 rounds of discussion. Final vote: No: 6

Strongest Arguments

• No: The 1920s were not a moral gold standard; they were an era of legally enforced segregation, lynchings, and virtually non-existent rights for women and minorities. Modern society has significantly expanded its 'circle of empathy,' resulting in lower violent crime rates and the global establishment of human rights frameworks.