I use the term “prudence” in the sense of “being in balance.” It connotes “the middle way” or “The Golden Mean.” It means, to me, neither over-doing nor under-doing. It further means neither overvaluing nor undervaluing; neither being obsessed [or infatuated] nor missing opportunity; avoiding rigidity and dogmatism.
Also, in the Unified Theory of Ethics “morality” is a personal trait.
Phyllo: When is the last time you were on a desert island? People here on this Forum bring up such exceptional cases! True, every exception tests a rule; but let’s be practical and relevant to daily life. Where I live, I have neighbors, and a wife; so I have people around me. I find myself with others in the elevator of my condo, of which I am the President of the Condo Association. Sooner or later I bump into other people. …but this is not about me. It’s about building a superior Ethical Theory.
Just as “value” in general involves a correspondence between two sets,
“moral value” does also. Morality and moral value mean the same. The two sets for morality are the set of one’s behaviors and the set of one’s evolving ideals. To me, morality means “walking the walk, not just talking the talk.” It means avoiding hypocrisy and corruption; it means authenticity: being real (rather than a pretender or a phony.)
If you ruin your health, or by a lack of due caution injure yourself, you are less strong, and thus less in a position to be of help to another individual. I would NOT label this “immoral.” Instead I would say (in the role of a coach): Ask yourself: How is this working for you? Is it getting you to your goals? …If it isn’t, isn’t it time for a change? Get back into balance! Be true to your own true self.
Recall what Shakespeare had one of his characters speak, in 1570, “To thine own self be true, and it follows as Night the Day, thou canst then not be false to any man!”
BTW, which item did you read? Why not go on to the next?
And Karpel: Yes, I do like people to agree with me. Don’t you?
If your criticism is constructive, I very much welcome it, and want to learn from it. But if it is of a destructive sort – who needs it?!
In working to build a superior theory of Ethics I of course seek cooperation on this project. Hence I want critics to have a cooperative attitude. If they merely find fault or put me down, with derision, I would then prefer the company of others. Isn’t that normal?
When you bring up decentralization I agree with it; when you bring up waging violent war I disagree, but do it civilly. We can disagree agreeably. Ethics allows for that. It is a mistake to conclude that I always demand total agreement. No, what I seek is consensus. Let’s find common ground. Let’s “Build not burn.”