[size=92]Here is a fact about human nature: our brains are prewired to seek out what is in our self-interest. The problem is that we often don’t know what actually is in our self-interest. For example, we fail to gain the benefits that cooperation would yield for us. Allow me to explain.
Science informs us that we survived as a species (instead of becoming extinct as so many, many other species have) because we learned to cooperate on projects that we could not handle alone. We set a goal to erect a bridge across a river or to build a residence and we realized that the project was too big to do by ourselves so we enlisted the cooperation of others and we got it done. There are benefits to cooperation. Many of us are not aware of these benefits; we thus often do things that are not in our true self-interest. It is a moral truth that today we need more cooperation on worthwhile goals that enhance the quality of human life.
Ethics is concerned with how to live a good life, how to be a good person, how to live the optimal life, how to live well as we provide a quality life for all. When we engage in self-defeating and counter-productive behavior we are doing things that are not in our self-interest. In this new approach to Ethics self-defeating behavior may be described as conduct that rates a low degree on the morality scale; or a low rank on a social happiness index.
Examples of such conduct would be violence, self-mutilation, ruthless exploitation (such as holding slaves, or murder, or rape, , or even disregarding worker safety standards.) Cheating others, baiting and switching, engaging in angry quarreling, polluting the planet which we all inhabit, these are also forms of unethical conduct.
Ethics is concerned with harmonious human relationships, and how to achieve them. There are axioms in that body of useful knowledge named “Ethics,” and logical deductions can be made from those basic assumptions, those axioms.
In the theory governing ethics one learns about Ethical Fallacies, which are mistakes in thinking with regard to moral topics and moral practice. [Some of them are to be found here: A UNIFIED THEORY OF ETHICS wadeharvey.myqol.com/wadeharvey/ … Course.pdf
What are the basic assumptions? Some values are more valuable than others. How can we tell the better from the worse? It has been shown by a logical demonstration, a proof, that one individual, having individuality, seen as ‘unique,’ is worth more than all the things in this world, and that one material thing is worth more than all the babble, the theories and systems and ideologies; a person is worth more than a thing, and a thing is worth more than a number. As we know, a thing can rust out and be discarded; and a number can be erased. Human life, though, is valuable, uncountably valuable. That’s why it is wrong to murder or rape., or to connive and exploit, to enslave and deceive.
Those who understand these relationships can be said to “know their values.” Once you know your Ethics you will put people first. Then far below you will rank materialism and ostentatious consumption. And you will also realize that systems, dogmas, opinions rather than facts and evidence, isms, labels, and stereotypes have the lowest positive value to us.
Indifference to one another has zero value, while cruelty, sadism, personal corruption, and psychopathy have negative value; they are dis-values. Sociopaths commit dis-values. We don’t need more sociopaths. Selfishness is the opposite of behaving ethically, of living the moral life – the god life. It is worth less than zero. In this way we can tell better from worse.
Moral principles are not rules or commands; they are not absolutes. Instead, they are guidelines to living a trouble-free life, a smooth balanced harmonious life – an honest life, a life of humility and serenity, of peace of mind and peace in the world – a life of justice. The world is not fair but each of us can engage in fair-dealing: we can resolve not to cheat our fellow-man, not to cut corners, not to have fun at the expense of others, not to ‘put people down.’ It helps to know our Ethics.
Therefore I shall present some of the initial basic axioms. Picture this: If you think you are alone on an island then all you need to be concerned about are the Laws of Nature …you don’t want to hurt yourself. If however it turns out that you encounter another individual on that island the laws of human nature come into play. “Don’t get hurt” becomes “Do no harm.”
if you have enough cognitive assets (enough sense) you will be respectful, show some consideration, radiate good will, seek the benefits of cooperation, encourage sharing. {To do otherwise is to risk making an enemy who will fight you over the resources available on the island.}
Due to your awareness of Ethics, in as many ways as you can you will want to make everyone concerned, all parties, a mutual winner. You will be careful to avoid selfishness. You will do random acts of kindness and express deliberate feelings of compassion and empathy. You will strive for clear, accurate, adult communication. You will neither act superior nor play the victim. Furthermore you’ll be mindful that your biases can become liabilities. One has an ethical liability when one confronts another and shows disrespect.
Here are some axioms of Ethics and some implications that follow from them. You enter the field of Ethics when you regard an individual, or a group of them, as deep, complex, as having a story to tell. When a situation arises where there is interaction with another person you, as a result of understanding Ethics, seek to add value to that situation; you give that person your attention, you show that you care. For Ethics is about caring and sharing, and offering a helping hand to those less fortunate, or to those in need.
Axiom 1 is: make things morally better. This implies “Make yourself better!” This suggests self-improvement. It is worthwhile to pursue self-development, and moral growth.
Axiom 2 is: We have a moral obligation to be good and to be happy. To be good, morally, is to have a good character. An entire division of Ethics is devoted to this subject, and more will be said about this later. [See pp. 7=8 in the first selection, the first link, in the Signature below.]
Morality, as it is defined in this new way of looking at Ethics, means: being true to yourself. This implies authenticity, integrity, and honesty. It further implies living up to what you believe and not having double standards, one for yourself and one for others. It includes having high ideals (moral principles) and having your conduct correspond with those ideals. Some of us will do this consciously at first, until we make a habit of it, and some of us do it already intuitively.
Morality is a matter of degree and a person who knows his or her ethics will want to gain a high degree of morality. It is an increasing correspondence with an improving self-image.
All parts of Ethics (the systematic body of knowledge) and all its terms, once it is more-fully developed, shall fit together in a pattern – perhaps like the numbers in the solution of a Sudoku puzzle. Once it gets on the right track logic will enable it to find the balanced pattern, the web of life and human relationships.
With this new knowledge put into practice our relations with one another will markedly improve. There will be less heated quarrels, more anger management, more harmony, and more peace of mind. Families will know how to be functional rather than dysfunctional. Members of the family will defer to one another, will show respect.
Since it is a fact of human nature, due to our brain wiring, that most everyone can sense injustice, once we know our Ethics we will seek Justice. We will want to achieve balance, we will want things to fit. Without Justice there is no Peace. If one desires peace, he or she will work for, or at least be an advocate for, Social Justice.
We have, in this paradigm shift, presented values in their correct order, from better to worse since we are aware that some values are of more value to us than others: caring (for purposes of ethics) is better than indifference. Positive values are better than negative values. What is richer in properties is better than what lacks them. Value, we realize, is a function of meaning: the more valuable something is, the more meaningful it is to us, and the more meaning we find in something the more we will regard it as having value.
`In addition, we have in this new paradigm defined the discipline of Ethics as arising when one views an individual as possessing indefinitely-high value. We have offered some basic postulates. Now we will derive an implication of our fundamental definition of Ethics. If someone is that valuable, one wouldn’t want to harm him or her. Hence the implied imperative is: Do no harm!
As one works for social justice one is careful to avoid violence, and to employ nonviolent direct action. This is action, not passivity. And it inflicts no violence, no harm on other people. Recall that ethics is about caring. Take care of yourself, and take care of someone else.
Empower people from the bottom up. Give them a road to social upward mobility; provide opportunity. Also, foster community and take on responsibility. An Ethical motto is: “No rights without responsibility.” Falling into a state of dependency is not advisable.
We have displayed some moral truths and have reflected upon what is involved in living the ethical life. The above discussion provides food for thought sufficient enough for now.[/size]
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