If we are to “correctly” understand ethics/morality,
we should better understand what that means.
What is ethics/morality?
Ethics: the moral principles that govern a person’s
behavior or the conducting of an activity.
- the branch of knowledge that deals with moral principles.
Morality: principles concerning the distinction between right and wrong
or good behavior and bad behavior.
- a particular system of values and principles of conduct, especially
one held by a specified person or society.
So, what is the basic principles of the U.S?
What are the morals, principles, of the U.S?
“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that
all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their
creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these
are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness”…
Think of the declaration of Independence as a mission statement
for America. How far have we fallen from our basic mission statement
is quite clear upon even a basic examination of what is happening
today in America. That America has attack people, men, women
and children without any regard to the understanding that “all men
are created equal” that means just that “all men are equal” even
if they are not citizens of this country……… For the fact is, that
to discriminate because one is not a citizen of this country flies
in the face of the mission statement of our founding fathers.
But one might argue that the founding fathers by using the words,
“all men” have discriminated against women and minorties and
I agree with that… we have expanded the definition of “all men”
to mean “all human beings” for we cannot in good conscience,
or without being conservative, having a double standard,
exclude those like women or minorities or those of color.
If we exclude people based on nationality, then we are not
following the declaration of independence, for we are not
following the part that says, “all men are created equal”.
It doesn’t say, “all men are created equal as long as they are
citizens of this country” no, it says, “all men are created equal”
and we have expanded that to include “all human beings”
To practice, as the conservative practices a “double standard”,
is not a very useful method of ethics/morality or law.
For it cannot be made universal, this selective use of
a “double standard”. For it can be used to justify anything,
and that is a “relative” standard. Something conservatives
abhor and yet, they cling to it like drowning men cling
to a lift preserver.
If we are to engage in situational ethics, as the conservative
practices it, but refuses to acknowledge, then we must
understand what it means to practice situational ethics.
It is quite simple, the situation dictates the ethics.
but does that mean that there is no method or means
to ground ethics or morality as a “universal” or “sociality”
standard of behavior?
Does it mean we have an “individual” ethics but not
a society ethics? Can a society have “universal” ethics, morality?
Because situational ethics would suggest that a “universal”
or “societal” ethics is not possible.
Perhaps I am looking at this the wrong way…
Let us return to the idea of the equation.
we have an equation that must
equal on both sides of the equation. I have used
this as an example, life = death……… this equation
must equal. if we have too much life on one side, then
life must suffer because we cannot, we do not enough
resources to be able to give individuals the “right to life,
liberty and the pursuit of happiness”. If death becomes
too much on the equation then we threaten society with extinction.
the equation should be roughly even for it to work.
if our equation is this… Justice/ equality = a society worth living in……
then we must make justice/equality as our goal…
so we must make our laws, our justice as being equal for everyone.
The further away from justice/equality our society gets, the less
a society is worth living in.
So ethics/morality is really the attempt to create justice/equality, not
only in legal form but in all aspects of society. So ethics/morality is
just another means of pursuing equality in all aspects of our life,
be it individually or collectively.
this is just one means of attempting to bring ethics/morality beyond
simple situational ethics. Ethics is the attempt to have justice/equality
in all aspects of our lives.
So to return to our definition of ethics/morality.
Ethics: Moral principles that govern a person’s behavior or the conducting
of an activity" two: the branch of knowledge that deals with moral principles.
Morality: Principles concerning the distinction between right and wrong
or good behavior and bad behavior. Two: a particular system of values
and principles of conduct, especially one held by a specified person or
society.
We can use justice/equality as a means to bring a system of values
or principles of conduct in regards to our behavior.
The answer to the question of ethics/morality is, is this just/equal
to all persons involved? The question of ethics is the question of
being just/equal to all persons involved.
So, a policeman who kills an innocent person, is that policeperson
being just/equal, to that person killed? No, quite clearly not.
For the person being killed is not being treated equally and for justice
to be justice, it must be equal. Equal treatment for everyone is justice.
so discrimination is not justice for it is unequal in its treatment,
and intolerance is not justice for it is unequal in its treatment
and bigotry is not justice for it is unequal in its treatment.
We can now see what our ethics and morality should be……
it must be equal in its treatment of both individuals and
and any group of people within a society. Unequal treatment is
injustice for it is unequal in its treatment of people and justice
is the equality of treatment of people.
We have a system of ethics/morality……
what is your system of ethics/morality?
Kropotkin