To get started with ethics, I believe that we must accept a primary proposition
– that SOME WAYS OF LIVING ARE BETTER THAN OTHERS –
that a way of life
IS BETTER THAN
a way of life
that promotes ___
that promotes ____.
love hate,
respect for persons disrespect and prejudice
care cruelty
understanding and reasoning ignorance and dogmatism
freedom and dignity slavery and exploitation
less surplus suffering
more surplus suffering
& more creative possibility
& less creative possibility
(I have tried to keep these evaluative sentences at a fairly fundamental
level. The trick is to avoid arrogance while preserving a
place to stand so that human rights -- and wider
issues of rights -- make sense. In other words, not to accept an
extreme
ethical relativism that would hold that one cannot
validly say that anything is better than anything else. To agree
to that
would, in my view, cut the ground out from
under us to have any meaningful ethics at all.)
***********************************************************************************************
The mission of our class accepts this primary proposition that some
ways of living are better than others. Our aim is
TO COME TO LIFE MORE FULLY
SO AS TO ACT
MORE WISELY AND MORE EFFECTIVELY
TO REDUCE SUFFERING AND PROMOTE POSSIBILITY
FOR OUR COMMON LIFE
The Four Noble Truths and the Eightfold Path elaborate this theme of reducing suffering from an Eastern perspective.
Our Traffic Light Model picks up the themes from a Western perspective
by looking at
CRITERIA for
suffering or destructiveness on the side of and responsibility on the side of
ACTIONS/POLICIES THE AGENT
Destructiveness = function of violating Responsibility = function of
[condition RED]
KNOWING & WILLING
What is GOOD for the WHOLE
(freedom of consent)
and
100%
100%
[condition GOLD]
What is FAIR to the PARTICIPANT PARTS
0% 0%
Fraud (deception)
Force (coercion) limits
limits knowledge.
freedom (free
consent)
Lack of knowledge and lack of freedom both diminish responsibility
Our Condition RED – GOOD for the WHOLE – deals generally with the family of “goods.”
Our Condition GOLD – Fair to the PARTS – deals generally with the family of “rights.”
Our Inner Side of Ethics – the two shades of GREEN
-- [ Resp. = f(K&W) ] –
deals --especially as it becomes more positive --
with the family of “virtues.”
***********************************************************************************************
above the line are the
ETHICS
OF
generally phrased positively – going above and beyond
ASPIRATION
the minimum -- “Thou shalt”
do thus and so for life to be larger.
Here RED reminds us of heart – of compassion – to all
Here GOLD reminds us of Golden Rule Fairness and justice to all
Here GREEN reminds us that by our choices we cultivate
certain habits of mind-and-heart that our ancestors
called the “virtues” or attitudes that issue in
collaborative and respectful living.
(In the ethics of aspiration, one
is praised for fulfilling these calls to live larger;
one is not usually blamed for not responding (unless there are special
circumstances.)
--------------------------------- LINE OF MINIMAL DUTIES/RIGHTS --------------------------------
below the line are the
ETHICS
OF
generally phrased in negative form “Thou shalt not . . .”
MINIMAL DUTIES
Here RED reminds us of blood –of harm – especially to the community
GOLD reminds us of the caution light – esp. to be cautious
and not demeaning persons
GREEN reminds us of basic ethical responsibility.
When we act knowingly and willingly, we are ethically responsible for the harm (and the good) we do.
(In the ethics of minimal duties, one is not praised for fulfilling them
(unless there are special circumstance);
one is balmed for not fulfilling them.)
***********************************************************************************************
Return to Ethics Enrichment Page
Return to Ethics Menu Page
Return to John G. Sullivan Homepage