I think it would be difficult to make a distinction between what it is like to be ethical and what it is like to be moral. In any event ethics, morality and decency are human labels for actions done by humans or animals.
In our time biodiversity in an ecosystem must act in ways that the good affects Self and Other, since we are interconnected physically and mentally. I like the term “plenitude”-a whole comprised of a variety of interconnected parts. Unless we see ourselves in such a way, we will destroy our planet. Even now the disconnect between isolated individuals threatens our very existence. Moral or ethical behavior depends on willful harmony on the part of humans.
In a nutshell–we must unite in care for our planet, our only universal home. Ethics depends on survival.
Would you be so kind as to go into it with a few specifics now. Please enlighten us as to how “my methods” led to pain. Which of the suggested tentative standards to live by what you refer to as my “methods” was the specific cause of the pain?? And please tell us what the specific pain was?
I agree completely that a moral person ought to avoid moralism. In my writings, to which one may refer by clicking on the safe-to-open documents in the References listed below, I counsel: Don’t be a moralist! Do not be morally-judgmental. I believe that is what you were getting at, Fixed, in that paragraph quoted. Then you recommend what the theory, the new paradigm for Ethics, speaks of as The Consistency Principle. Again, I thoroughly agree!
Simple ethics: examine your values by exposing them to each other in life and bring them into accord with each other; work to eliminate contradictions in your valuing. … Be a pillar to a merciful culture.
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Let’s all work to achieve a merciful culture.
Thank you for your contribution, Fixed Cross. Please respond …
Since a respondent brought up the concept of what he spoke of as “my methods,” it would be appropriate here to summarize some of the major points expressed in the Structure book - the first pdf reference listed below - and in other writings on the topic of the new approach to Ethical Theory, and the applications which follow logically from the theory.
Ethics, as viewed in the new paradigm I offer [inspired by – and based upon – the breakthrough pioneering work done by the profound, original thinking of a philosopher named Robert S. Hartman to whom ample credit must be given] is spun from an axiom, along with a couple of key definitions.
The axiom (or generative idea) is: Make things better!
One of the key definitions is the definition of “Ethics” itself. The other is the definition of “Morality.” The latter is synonymous with “moral value.” This assumes a prior understanding of the concepts “value” and "good. Therefore both of these ideas are explicated in the papers and books by yours truly.
PART I
Avoiding technicalities here, since we are merely explaining Ethics in a nutshell, it will suffice to say that the meaning of “Ethics” is conveyed by the imperative, the first principle: To the extent you possibly can, honor and respect each individual.
Then, what follows from this: Engage readily in caring and sharing, doing acts of kindness, and being of service. If you understand the structure of ethics and the benefits that ensue, both from trying to create value in every situation, and from cooperating on worthwhile project and endeavors, you will devote yourself to being authentic and to genuinely caring.
You will be aware that ‘we’re all in this together,’ since we are all just trying to make a life (having some quality.) The notion of a Quality Life is well-defined in the Structure manuscript {also available on Kindle}; such a life entails enjoying the simple pleasures, bonding with friends, strengthening support networks, having a deep sense of well-being suport networks, having a deep sense of health and well-being, exercising the mind, etc. For details see the literature reference below.
What really helps you helps me, and vice versa, since we are all in this together. Thus, as Ierrillus informs us in an earlier post, if the habitat for the human species is ruined …if our planet is desecrated, defiled, and polluted, we may not survive. Even if we do survive, life could be intolerable: a very-low quality of life.
Ethics teaches that we are to live with efficiency (a Systemic value), and with practicality, savior faire, excellence of performance [what Aristotle called “Eudemonia,” (which is Extrinsic value); but most importantly of all with expressing Intrinsic Value to individuals and to groups.
Respect yourself and others. Be courteous; avoid rudeness. Be a good listener.
Aim to be a good person, one of good character. Be real! Don’t be a phony. Don’t ‘put people on’ or run them down. Do not disparage them, nor exploit them. Such a person of good charcter is ‘turned off’ by injustice - cops being judge, jury and executioner, senators passing laws and then exempting themselves from having to live up to those laws, people who are well-off evading taxes and buying legislators with donations that have conditions attached, etc., etc… Ethical individuals are ‘turned off’ by dishonesty, by bait-and-switch, and other forms of cheating. They strive to be true to themselves. Thus they work for mutually-beneficial relationships.
…to be continued. - All comments most welcomed…
PART II
In every situation those who know their Ethics choose to create the greatest value, and to provide each person they encounter the full opportunity to express their creativity. They want this for society also. Hence they want to empower people from the bottom up: they want a strong safety-net, they want to get rid of extreme poverty to the extent possible. They realize that money will not ‘trickle down’ from those who are quite well-off financially but who may have an attitude primarily of: “What’s in it for me!?” … or from the affluent who are the greedy ones, the psychopaths, the predators.
Look to creative design to solve problems.
Set a good example for others, be a role-model of Ethics.
This was a feeble attempt to sum up a vast field of research and practice. In earlier threads and posts I touched on ethical topics such as: how to make wise moral decisions; and how to avoid personal corruption; how an ethical world will come about through ethical technologies; and I discussed many other relevant issues. Also, it was pointed out that Ethics, the discipline, has an experimental branch known as Moral Psychology. In that sense, Ethics is already a science.
Your views? What say you?
To be fair most of your points are decent though vague. How does one establish a value standard? How does one find it? That is, I believe, the true mission of ethics.
Most people have absolutely no clue. So for them such advice is hollow; they need to go through the process of discovering themselves before they can be aware of any standards.
I have become very wary of optimistic moral advice, as the human world is infinitely wretched, something to be overcome. Further, I dont think that one should be adding moral principles all the time but rather to reduce them to a few greater principles of value.
I think there are certain things missing from your list, namely things concerning problems with the human species. The problems you will encounter in life are not largely your own making. That is a solipsistic myth. People are generally exceedingly stupid savages and being kind and respectful to them is like being respectful to cockroaches, its not wise and they have no idea what respect is or how to reward it.
Well actually I mean that Ive found only a very small number of people in my life who would even consider holding standards so high as my own - and I always forgave them for their shortcomings, but this has harmed me. I have improved my quality of life by looking down on people with lower standards - and I have given up trying to exalt them - I accept them for what they are but that doesn’t mean I respect them.
I do respect, always, people at the outset. But I no longer pretend that things which are happening aren’t happening, or that they dont matter. Everything matters.
I hope I have added some value here.
Along with Mercy,
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XdnMEShz5N0[/youtube]
we should add Severity.
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YUTaALDSezY[/youtube]
Thanks once again,Fixed Cross, for your contribution to the discussion. You did indeed add value.
I responded to some of your points, but in the process, opined that an ex-president is a would-be dictator. The entire post was deleted. I should have saved a draft, but failed to do so. I guess my responses to your points are lost forever.
Here are some examples of sub-categories of our species who are not admirable. They are miserable human beings. Earlier I alluded to them, to the predators, the sadists, the violent psychopaths, the bigots, the exploiters, the madmen, the Nazis, and those afflicted with the malady of greed.
Also included are the cult-leaders, the dictators, those who worship and strive for only money, power, and influence.
These are members of the human species who most good people find it difficult to respect and honor. Yet they are fellow-sufferers. They will get feelings of mercy, and the hope for redemption or healing, from those of good character who really know their ethics
I know this view just expressed is controversial amongst those who otherwise are people of good will.
Fixed Cross told us where he stands with regard to stupid, ignorant, morally-insensitive folks. He is unable to respect them. He has given up hope for them.
Where do you stand in this regard? Can you bring yourself to feel mercy and compassion for those – mentioned in the first paragraph above - miserable examples of our species?
And remember: Harmony works, just as Gravity works. Harmony helps human
relations advance. It makes things better. It is to Ethics what gravity is to Physics.
Let’s hear your considered opinions on any of these topics.
Aristotle had a word for ‘excellence of performance.’ Can anyone here tell us what that word is?
Combine that concept with the emphasis on Individuality and Autonomy that we note in the New Paradigm for Ethics – recall the final section of BASIC ETHICS – and those ideas suggest a new Principle to live by: namely,
I was born to stand out; not to blend in 
The justification for it: …
Conformity is only Systemic value. Individualism is merely Extrinsic value. However Individuality and Autonomy are Intrinsic values. [See that chart in Footnote 4 of Marvin C. Katz, A Unified Theory of Ethics booklet for other findings of this sort.]
That formula derived in BASIC ETHICS [see link below]: I > E > S. That formula orders the dimensions of value according to their size, as you will recall if you followed the logical argument which you found there. Intrinsic Value is infinitely-better (as value) .than Extrinsic Value, which in turn is far, far better than S-Value, as you learned in the early pages of BASIC ETHICS.
Tell me, what do you think of the new moral principle offered as the third paragraph above? I believe it applies to me. Could you, or would you, adopt it as a personal standard and then live by it?
Citation: I first heard it from Joshua Johnson. So I give him the credit for it.
I often ask people here where they stand on a specific topic that I bring up in the course of writing a post, and they don’t respond with any reply. I don’t understand why.
That recent thread I posted, Four More Moral Principles – it turned out to be five more – really belongs here, as an extension of this thread, ETHICS IN A NUTSHELL, in which some earlier Moral Principles were offered.
So insert it here.
Have you come upon some other Principle to live by recently that you would care to share with us?
Since no one responded – and please tell us why? – I shall herewith offer some moral principles for you to consider adopting:
The first I obtained from one of the three well-known philosophical talking monkeys…
SPEAK NO EVIL !
The nest one, you may already know:
We each do better if we ALL do better !!
“Service to others is the rent you pay for your room on Earth.”
----Mohammad Ali
…Hope you find this thread interesting. If not, inform us why not??
Here for you are some thoughts upon which to reflect:
We are all connected yet at the same time we have separate identities. We are connected by our membership in the species, the human race; and this entire species may function, in a sense, as a support-group for each individual. We are social animals.
Let’s harmonize with that which is already naturally good! Values such as Integrity, Authenticity, Community, Democracy, Morality and Veracity are naturally good. Would you agree
If so, let us be sure that we practice them, live them.
And ceasing to attack our natural environment by switching over soon to clean green energy would be good. …What do you say?
This means getting (close to) a goal of Zero carbon emissions.]
Continuing the effort to sum up Ethics “in a nutshell.”…
The new Ethics has two major parts: they are to understand and explain the upgraded meanings of the term “ethics,” and the term “morality.”
In the new paradigm one becomes ‘ethical’ when, upon encountering another individual, one Intrinsically-values that person. How is this done? See the first Principle offered in the initial post above for an answer.
Speaking of that list of Moral Principles, the upgraded and improved meaning of “Morality” in the new paradigm is this: one gains in morality as one adds more Moral Principles that one then proceeds to live by, as one goes through life. Hence morality entails moral growth, moral development! The more moral principles you live by, put into practice, the more moral you become; it is a process.
Recall that Shakespeare, writing in the 1500s, had one of his characters say: “To thine own self be true…”. One way of being true to yourself is to be moral. To have morality is to have moral value. Value is a matter of degree, and the more you score higher in Morality, the more your life expresses value. See if you can achieve a high morality score, so to speak. You then learn of, and practice, more of these wise guides to living sa good life.
Since, as you already know, ethics is about creating value in human interaction, the more you have the capacity to value others Intrinsically [rather than Systemically or Extrinsically], the more you are ethical. For details as to what that entails see the papers offered in the Signature below. { The gist of it is that both parties leave the encounter feeling like winners.} Ethics is about how we treat each other.
What do you think about this? Is it controversial? Can you but into it? Do you want to live in an ethical world? Some of the most-beautiful ideas, as may be found in the booklet The Structure of Ethics, stay in darkness because those aware of them don’t spread them around. If any thoughts you came upon in that booklet, or in this thread earlier, favorably-impressed you, tell others! Bring them into the light. Teach your friends and acquaintances those concepts. Thus you will be making a contribution: you will help make the world better.
No one responded to my longer blog so this one, in hopes of encouraging more dialog among thinking people, will be brief.
IBTW, i was once again impressed by how often I jump to conclusions - when I caught myself doing so again today. Making unwarranted assumptions seems to be one of the most-common human mental failings… Have you noticed that?
…just came upon a new Moral Principle – a meta-principle: i.e., a principle OF one’s personal moral standards.
I call what follows “new” because it was not in any of my lists before now. Here it is:
It is important for each individual to be a shining example of his/her own positive ethical standazrds. It is important for me, and to me, to LIVE what I believe!
How do you feel about this? Do you have any comments or questions?
Don’t try to be “above” others. Just be there. Be responsible.
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Consider what you are doing and why.
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Don’t be an opportunist. Know when to let go!
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Acknowledge to yourself and to others when you are at fault!
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Do good, and use it as your guide.
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Take responsibility for your behavior.
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Treat others the way you would like to be treated.
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Ask questions and do not hesitate to seek clarification of an issue.
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When confronted, address the issue directly. Don’t attempt to make excuses.
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Do not engage in unnecessary gossip.
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Don’t be a ‘bitch’. Or a ‘jerk’. Avoid sarcasm and name calling. Don’t put others down.
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Do your very best!
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Be prepared. Be patient. Be responsible. Have a plan.
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Avoid giving too much advice. Give the benefit of your experience. Just do what is right. What do you want to happen?
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Be prepared. Be thoughtful. Be responsible. Make smart decisions.
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If you can’t do the right thing, do the next best thing.
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Be considerate. Be respectful. Don’t be rude. Be nice. Treat people the way you would want to be treated.
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Don’t be dishonest. Don’t lie.
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Do not use others or their experiences to get ahead.
The above post might be a contribution by a personality of Perodites dedicated to the good of the human species.
All of us who are human ought be thankful for this excellent list of principles or standards. Notice the emphasis on Responsibility.
One may improve one’s morality-score by adopting some of the ideas or concepts from this fine contribution to formulating “Ethics in a Nutshell.” Thanks again for continuing the dialog and enhancing the search for truth.
Does any reader, or member, here have any questions about the new approach to the field of Ethics that Dr. R.S. Hartman and yours-truly have offered to you as ‘the new paradigm for Ethics’?
Further, what are your views as to whether this new paradigm is an improvement over the more-conventional, traditional ways that Ethics is currently taught in Philosophy classes around the U.S.A.?? There, one is informed as to what various philosophers - such as Heraclitus or Nietzsche or Bertie Russell or Dewey - have said, but no conclusions are drawn, no answers are given – just a variety of viewpoints.
Hence the student gets very little or no guidance as to what is the ethical way to conduct oneself, and is left to flounder or drift …often becoming a delinquent, or willing to commit violence to get hiss way, or some kind of social deviant who commits immoral acts, or a cult-follower who cannot even see through the likes of a Donald Trump.
{See also, in this regard, the last sentence at the end of the second paragraph of the Foreword to the booklet BASIC ETHICS- A systematic approach. A link to it is given below.}
What are your views on this topic?
_
Ethics, in a nutshell… for me, is about doing the right thing,
and if a person doesn’t know what the right thing to do is,
then they may not be doing the ethical thing.
The not-knowing fuelling the-knowing, of the ethical treadmill
…or is it a circularity …or both?
I encourage the Socratic way of teaching ethics, as opposed to that of the modern classroom.
The main aim of the Socratic ethics is to help people develop the virtues in order to make the person morally upstanding, and the achievement of social harmony. To understand why a Socratic ethics is valuable consider the following example of what might happen if we are using a rule based ethic or a system of logic such as utilitarianism based on calculating cost/benefit scenarios:
Imagine a world where you are a doctor and a patient comes to you with a heart condition. In this world there are two cures, A and B. The chances of success are 50/50 for both A and B. A is not very painful and B is painful. A is much safer for the patient and involves no more than a single treatment but requires a period of recovery afterwards and it is expensive. B involves multiple painful procedures that will leave the patient in pain for a period of time, but it is a cheaper treatment.
From the point of view of a rule based ethic or system of logic based on cost/benefit there is no obvious wrong in choosing B. But the Socratic ethics is about incorporating values beyond those that can be calculated with numbers such as probability and cost.
I also mentioned the idea of social harmony. If you are worried about society being divided into factions or if you wish to avoid a divided society where people are pitted against each other, adopting the Socratic ethic is a good step to take. Socrates saw that the human soul and mind was divided. It could only see its own good and pleasure and it couldn’t see the good of others.
Socrates used his great wisdom to find the reason that we are divided. He found that in the process of becoming an adult we become divided into the parts of intellect, heart, and soul. Soul looks to the Intellect to make decisions about what is morally right and good, and so it is driven to do so in such a way that it will not harm the body in any way or even cause pain. Soul is more concerned about what the heart is going to experience and how it will feel. So the Intellect has to come to a compromise with the Soul and and Heart and finds that what is true is also what is good, what is good for the body is good for the mind, etc.
GPT-SHOGGOTH] wrote:
The most-recent adaptation of what Socrates taught is today is known as Virtue Theory. [See the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy for details.] This theory is based upon Aristotle’s course dedicated to his son, Nichomacus. This course, in book form, is how we learn what Socrates said on the subject. Note that in the chapter of BASIC ETHICS, pp. 9-12, on grading traditional schools of Ethics, one finds that modern Virtue Theory ranks highest. So Dr. Katz and you agree. The following is another application of the emphasis Socrates was pointing ou for Ethics that is relevant:
An individual may have a mind, a body, and some spirit.
Robert S. Hartman, the polymath genius (1910-1973) devised and applied three Dimensions of Value to the individual. They are Systemic Value; Extrinsic Value; and Intrinsic Value. Abbreviated as: S, E, and I.
Mind is a notion associated with concepts, definitions, and systems. Thus Systemic value is appropriate here.
The body is an empirical thing. Thus it is an Extrinsic value. : It is fitting for it to be mainly valued extrinsically. [Of course everything can be valued by all three basic dimensions.]
Spirit includes inspiration, creativity, enthusiasm, emphasis, motives, emotions; and thus Intrinsic value is suitable here. Let us portray all this as follows:
S: Mind
E: Body
I: Spirit.
Of course, as you know from your reading, the formula that ranks these values is I > E > S.
In other words, I is infinitely-more-valuable than E, which is, in turn, far –more-valuable than S. (All this is logically-derived as explained in the early pages of BASIC ETHICS: A systematic Approach.)
Coments? Questions? Your views?
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