The mind is its own place, and in itself, can make heaven of hell, and a hell of heaven.
John Milton
********************
Hello Rose
********************
People are in the habit of expecting and demanding from other people the same ethical rules they try to apply to themselves. It is as if a person knows all about right and wrong and is therefore qualified to teach others. Ethics is a very complicated topic which has absorbed philosophers since the beginning of rational thought. And what makes it complicated is, among other things, the difference between thought and behavior.
,
Morality has become a rather cheap word these says as politicians chime out about their individual moral stands on one issue or another. We've heard about the moral high ground as if it was a vantage point for casting stones down on those who don't subscribe to the moral tenets of the hill dweller. The annoying fact is that what is moral behavior in one instance is immoral in the next. And that's why it is so important to come to an understanding of ethics and how it affects the individual and the society he lives in.
If a single act can be right in one case and not in another it means we can't judge morality just by human behavior. A soldier is allowed to shoot an enemy soldier but not his next door neighbor, no matter how scurrilous he may be.
We must judge human behavior, if we allow ourselves to judge it at all, on the basis of motives. Motives are mental things. It is very difficult in most cases to know what a person's motives are for doing anything. Those are hidden in the mind of the doer and not public domain. And the person who is holding in mind the motive is free to lie about it if he wants to. .So the overall subject of ethics is not about behavior but about thought. Which brings up the question, whether you act on it or not, if you think an immoral thought are you being immoral? If you are then it is even more important to discipline your thoughts than your actions.
We have all looked into the smiling face of the "so nice" person who is secretly holding close to his mental chest the most dangerous desires and ideas. That person is living in hell. Without realizing it his mind has put him lower then the low moral ground. His pretentious at being the nice guy have forced him into hypocrisy, and sooner or later the thoughts in his mind will spill out into behavior and everyone will be amazed and shocked.
While the true evangel will carefully examine his thoughts and desires to conform them to his highest ideals and thus stand firmly on an invulnerable moral ground no matter where he is.
DB - Vagabond Journeys
Never give up.
*************************
Showing posts with label ethics. Show all posts
Showing posts with label ethics. Show all posts
Thursday, May 24, 2012
Friday, October 2, 2009
Simplistic Settlements 10/02/09
A system of morality which is based on relative emotional values is a mere illusion, a thoroughly vulgar conception which has nothing sound in it and nothing true.
Socrates
****************
Come in, join the party.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Why is reason better than emotion?
There are charismatic preachers of all religions who can inspire their congregations into extreme states of emotion, bringing them to a point of shouting and weeping and generally believing that the holy spirit is upon them. Those are the false prophets we've been warned against. It may be good drama, but it's bad spirituality.
Similarly, there are those who can generate among, perhaps the same, congregations of people a sense of self-righteous moral outrage to the point of violence over some issue by simply sticking to the emotional side of it, with pounding of fists and shouting out invectives against it, while totally ignoring any other side of the question.
I don't need to cite example. You can turn on the TV almost any day and see one of these ethical criminals at work. They can evolve an otherwise intelligent group of people into a fanatical religious or social mob.
And so we have women being whipped for wearing trousers, innocent children being allowed to die, political prisoners being tortured ("renovated"), doctors being shot to death, homes and nations being invaded, families destroyed, the innocent in jail and the guilty roaming free, the shouting down of honest discussion, the plundering of the poor by the rich, buildings being blown up, rage, cruelty, violence, rape, murder, war, mayhem, all under the umbrella of entitlement, defending our freedoms, claiming our rights, gaining closure, maintaining the status quo, protecting ourselves, doing the right thing, keeping up a good appearance, social order, sanctification, gut reaction, the Word of God.
We live in a vulgar, world wide. sordid, ethical snake pit. It's a grand day for the false prophets. It makes them feel important and powerful. "Mischief thou art afoot, take whatever course thou wilt." Shakespeare
So why is there still civilization? Because there are still some civilized people in it, people who are willing to think things through and who are sensitive, concerned and patient enough to see the results of any action or thought. There are still people who reason instead of react. There are people who will not give in to the crowding and stuffing of their minds and will walk out on the false prophet when the emotions start heating up and go listen to the wise instead.
I claim my rights. I claim the right to think for myself, to reason things through to the best of my ability, to listen to intelligent points of view, to agree or disagree in a civilized manner, to support the ideas I believe in and have patience with the others. And, whenever I am given the opportunity in my vagabond journey, to stop the criminal, lift up the broken, soothe the hurt, praise the compassionate and applaud the ethical.
DB - Vagabond Journeys
____________________
May angels splash around in your apple cider.
**********************
AUTUMN QUESTION
This is not a contest.
If you could be remembered for one thing, what would it be and why?
You have all Fall to answer if you wish,
Reply here or at dbdacoba@aol.com
1 response so far
Thank you
DB
Socrates
****************
Come in, join the party.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Why is reason better than emotion?
There are charismatic preachers of all religions who can inspire their congregations into extreme states of emotion, bringing them to a point of shouting and weeping and generally believing that the holy spirit is upon them. Those are the false prophets we've been warned against. It may be good drama, but it's bad spirituality.
Similarly, there are those who can generate among, perhaps the same, congregations of people a sense of self-righteous moral outrage to the point of violence over some issue by simply sticking to the emotional side of it, with pounding of fists and shouting out invectives against it, while totally ignoring any other side of the question.
I don't need to cite example. You can turn on the TV almost any day and see one of these ethical criminals at work. They can evolve an otherwise intelligent group of people into a fanatical religious or social mob.
And so we have women being whipped for wearing trousers, innocent children being allowed to die, political prisoners being tortured ("renovated"), doctors being shot to death, homes and nations being invaded, families destroyed, the innocent in jail and the guilty roaming free, the shouting down of honest discussion, the plundering of the poor by the rich, buildings being blown up, rage, cruelty, violence, rape, murder, war, mayhem, all under the umbrella of entitlement, defending our freedoms, claiming our rights, gaining closure, maintaining the status quo, protecting ourselves, doing the right thing, keeping up a good appearance, social order, sanctification, gut reaction, the Word of God.
We live in a vulgar, world wide. sordid, ethical snake pit. It's a grand day for the false prophets. It makes them feel important and powerful. "Mischief thou art afoot, take whatever course thou wilt." Shakespeare
So why is there still civilization? Because there are still some civilized people in it, people who are willing to think things through and who are sensitive, concerned and patient enough to see the results of any action or thought. There are still people who reason instead of react. There are people who will not give in to the crowding and stuffing of their minds and will walk out on the false prophet when the emotions start heating up and go listen to the wise instead.
I claim my rights. I claim the right to think for myself, to reason things through to the best of my ability, to listen to intelligent points of view, to agree or disagree in a civilized manner, to support the ideas I believe in and have patience with the others. And, whenever I am given the opportunity in my vagabond journey, to stop the criminal, lift up the broken, soothe the hurt, praise the compassionate and applaud the ethical.
DB - Vagabond Journeys
____________________
May angels splash around in your apple cider.
**********************
AUTUMN QUESTION
This is not a contest.
If you could be remembered for one thing, what would it be and why?
You have all Fall to answer if you wish,
Reply here or at dbdacoba@aol.com
1 response so far
Thank you
DB
Sunday, June 28, 2009
Famed Formula 6/28/09
Opinions alter, manners change, creeds rise and fall, but the moral law is written in the tablets of history.
James Forude
******************
Welcome to my world.
-------------------------
So what is the moral law? It has been stated by many writers, speakers and philosophers over the years in many different ways. Very simply put it comes down to this: Humility in the presence of deity. Respect for others. Honesty with oneself.
If it's so simple why is it so damn difficult to understand and practice? When I first started to read philosophy, a subject which covers every aspect and experience of human life, it was the study of Ethics that attracted me. I wanted to reduce ethical thinking to a very simple statement, something I could mentally digest and use as a rule of life, such as "My freedom to punch you in the nose ends at the point where your nose begins." But the more I read the more I realized how complicated the subject is. Different circumstances require different actions. But every action or reaction should be directly related to a basic rule of behavior.
Humility in the presence of deity. One does not have to be a theist to understand that rule. The mistake we often make is to imagine that somehow we are greater then the sum of the parts. If we really understood and could utilize the vast intelligence that operates the universe there would be no need for science. Almost any scientist and thinker will admit to being amazed at the discoveries still to be made in every area of investigation into the workings of the natural world. With an infinite, unmeasured universe in front of us, how can we not be humble, even given our abilities to discover. If you are pleased with the idea of relating those discoveries to the process of understanding more about God, then good for you.
Respect for others. This poses an interesting question. Does everyone deserve our respect? I have a former friend in California for whom I no longer have any respect. I initially respected him very much, in fact I looked up to him for many years. My loss of respect for him is solely related to his treatment of me, but there are many things about him that project a sterling character. The lesson I learned is that I put my respect where it didn't belong. I trusted incorrectly, I needed to learn to respect him for who he is and not tie it to a betrayed trust.
The respect for others should also include animals and plants, even down to the lowly weed pushing its way up through the cracks in the sidewalk. Loving the weed or the skunk is not necessary, but giving it its right to be what it is is essential.
Honesty with oneself. Ah, here's the tricky one. I am reminded of two famous quotes. "This above all: to thine own self be true, and it must follow, as the night the day, thou canst not then be false to any man," wrote the amazingly intelligent Shakespeare. While Abraham Lincoln said: "You can fool some of the people all of the time, and all of the people some of the time, but you can not fool all of the people all of the time." How often do we fool ourselves? Some of the time? Or all of the time? Why is it so important to stop fooling ourselves and how do we go about it?
I think understanding ourselves, which is no small enterprise, is a combination of all three moral codes: humility in the presence of deity, respect for others and honesty with oneself. Immanuel Kant taught that one of the most important reasons for philosophy is an investigation of what the human being is capable of becoming. Thomas Hobbes wrote at length about our ethical responsibilities and relationships to other people and the society in which we live. And Friedrich Nietzsche dismissed doxological thinking for an investigation and realization of the indwelling intuitive and instinctual abilities of humans.
Yesterday I wrote about the supposedly 85% of the brain we don't use, and yesterday's Vagabond Jotting asks if the soul is something living inside the flesh. If you look at yourself squarely in the face when you approach a mirror and ask "Who am I?" be still, and let the intuitive portion of your mind, the 85%, answer. When the honest answer comes and is the real revelation of a creature that is part of the infinite universe, with an invisible nature, a soul, outside the flesh, indissolubly linked to light, space and all other creatures, and capable of becoming at one with great goodness, then you are alive. in every way.
If you reach that goal, or even approach it, "thou canst not them be false to any man" including yourself.
DB - Vagabond Journeys
_____________________
Have a nice sunny Summer Sunday
--------------------------------
Weekend Puzzle
_ H _ / _ T E /N _ _ _ _ E _ N S / _ _ T H / _ _ S E _ H _ N E /
( _ H E N /_ _ N _ _ _ _ T E/ _ _ S / _ _ _ _ ) ?
Ask me for a letter, fill it in and voila, you have a song title.
We have two winners.
C'est l'amour. Bon chance.
James Forude
******************
Welcome to my world.
-------------------------
So what is the moral law? It has been stated by many writers, speakers and philosophers over the years in many different ways. Very simply put it comes down to this: Humility in the presence of deity. Respect for others. Honesty with oneself.
If it's so simple why is it so damn difficult to understand and practice? When I first started to read philosophy, a subject which covers every aspect and experience of human life, it was the study of Ethics that attracted me. I wanted to reduce ethical thinking to a very simple statement, something I could mentally digest and use as a rule of life, such as "My freedom to punch you in the nose ends at the point where your nose begins." But the more I read the more I realized how complicated the subject is. Different circumstances require different actions. But every action or reaction should be directly related to a basic rule of behavior.
Humility in the presence of deity. One does not have to be a theist to understand that rule. The mistake we often make is to imagine that somehow we are greater then the sum of the parts. If we really understood and could utilize the vast intelligence that operates the universe there would be no need for science. Almost any scientist and thinker will admit to being amazed at the discoveries still to be made in every area of investigation into the workings of the natural world. With an infinite, unmeasured universe in front of us, how can we not be humble, even given our abilities to discover. If you are pleased with the idea of relating those discoveries to the process of understanding more about God, then good for you.
Respect for others. This poses an interesting question. Does everyone deserve our respect? I have a former friend in California for whom I no longer have any respect. I initially respected him very much, in fact I looked up to him for many years. My loss of respect for him is solely related to his treatment of me, but there are many things about him that project a sterling character. The lesson I learned is that I put my respect where it didn't belong. I trusted incorrectly, I needed to learn to respect him for who he is and not tie it to a betrayed trust.
The respect for others should also include animals and plants, even down to the lowly weed pushing its way up through the cracks in the sidewalk. Loving the weed or the skunk is not necessary, but giving it its right to be what it is is essential.
Honesty with oneself. Ah, here's the tricky one. I am reminded of two famous quotes. "This above all: to thine own self be true, and it must follow, as the night the day, thou canst not then be false to any man," wrote the amazingly intelligent Shakespeare. While Abraham Lincoln said: "You can fool some of the people all of the time, and all of the people some of the time, but you can not fool all of the people all of the time." How often do we fool ourselves? Some of the time? Or all of the time? Why is it so important to stop fooling ourselves and how do we go about it?
I think understanding ourselves, which is no small enterprise, is a combination of all three moral codes: humility in the presence of deity, respect for others and honesty with oneself. Immanuel Kant taught that one of the most important reasons for philosophy is an investigation of what the human being is capable of becoming. Thomas Hobbes wrote at length about our ethical responsibilities and relationships to other people and the society in which we live. And Friedrich Nietzsche dismissed doxological thinking for an investigation and realization of the indwelling intuitive and instinctual abilities of humans.
Yesterday I wrote about the supposedly 85% of the brain we don't use, and yesterday's Vagabond Jotting asks if the soul is something living inside the flesh. If you look at yourself squarely in the face when you approach a mirror and ask "Who am I?" be still, and let the intuitive portion of your mind, the 85%, answer. When the honest answer comes and is the real revelation of a creature that is part of the infinite universe, with an invisible nature, a soul, outside the flesh, indissolubly linked to light, space and all other creatures, and capable of becoming at one with great goodness, then you are alive. in every way.
If you reach that goal, or even approach it, "thou canst not them be false to any man" including yourself.
DB - Vagabond Journeys
_____________________
Have a nice sunny Summer Sunday
--------------------------------
Weekend Puzzle
_ H _ / _ T E /N _ _ _ _ E _ N S / _ _ T H / _ _ S E _ H _ N E /
( _ H E N /_ _ N _ _ _ _ T E/ _ _ S / _ _ _ _ ) ?
Ask me for a letter, fill it in and voila, you have a song title.
We have two winners.
C'est l'amour. Bon chance.
Tuesday, December 30, 2008
Trusted Transfiguration 12/30/08
Knowledge is the spirit that saves the heart from the darkness of ignorance, it is the light that saves it from the darkness of iniquity.
Abu Ali Thaqafi
************************
Yesterday was the Islamic New Years Day. May you have lasting peace.
-----------------------------------------
The only times during the day when I feel everything is all right is when I'm sleeping or I'm writing even though I'm a wretched typist.
My long story, Brian and Christine, http://db-vagabondtales.blogspot.com/ occupies me everyday. I know how the story ends but I don't yet know how to get there. I'm discovering the pathway as I go, one or two jumps ahead of my readers, cutting my way through the jungle of troubles, misunderstandings and injustices.
One of the big discoveries I've made along that route is that a lot of the trouble Brian has to deal with has come about through ignorance, his own and other people's. The story unfolds and conflicts get resolved by gaining bits of information, putting them with other bits of information, clearing up misunderstandings and thus gaining knowledge.
Backing away from my computer and looking out the window to the street below I see children going to the library. I note how fortunate they are to live in a country where there are libraries accessible to them, where they have schools and teachers, where they can easily gain information which will give them knowledge, and hence understanding and possibly even wisdom.
I also note how much iniquity there is in the world. Wrong doing by people who should know better and who would if they had the ability to learn right doing or who took advantage of the opportunity to gain the information that is available to them.
When I first began reading philosophy my main interest was in the field of ethics, a topic that has occupied philosophers since the beginning. It's a very complicated subject, it seems. And yet it's one of the most outward looking practices of the philosopher. It is germane to the subject of ethics that it address a conscientious and coordinated system of behavior toward other human beings and all living things. It necessarily focuses thought away from the self and onto one's place in society.
The world seems to be so filled with abuses: domestic violence, street gangs, robbery, rape, fathers attacking their sons' soccer coaches, teachers abusing their students, managers abusing their workers, child slavery and prostitution, owners abusing their animals, torture, graft and corruption in government and business, careless wasting of money by the rich, terrorism, racism, religious intolerance, fanaticism, revenge, the gouging of people's incomes by government, the shameless waste of natural resources, overpricing of necessary items, hatred, war and all other iniquities too many to name, that it seems most of the human race has never heard the word "ethics."
People will talk about ethical behavior on the left side while they are cheating their neighbors out of something on the right side. Or what is even worse, they will use the idea of ethics to justify some unethical behavior: "an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth."
My story has given me a chance to look some of this immorality in the face and explore it directly or indirectly. I'm not a great writer but I'm learning. I'm gaining knowledge. And one of the things I've learned is that in order to convey knowledge and understanding a writer must tell the truth and reveal things about himself. Secrets must be told. While it's true that he who has more knowledge can do more evil, he can also do more good. There is no such thing as generic good or generic evil in this life. It all comes down to the individual, his knowledge of the world around him and his behavior in it.
Vagabond Journeys
Abu Ali Thaqafi
************************
Yesterday was the Islamic New Years Day. May you have lasting peace.
-----------------------------------------
The only times during the day when I feel everything is all right is when I'm sleeping or I'm writing even though I'm a wretched typist.
My long story, Brian and Christine, http://db-vagabondtales.blogspot.com/ occupies me everyday. I know how the story ends but I don't yet know how to get there. I'm discovering the pathway as I go, one or two jumps ahead of my readers, cutting my way through the jungle of troubles, misunderstandings and injustices.
One of the big discoveries I've made along that route is that a lot of the trouble Brian has to deal with has come about through ignorance, his own and other people's. The story unfolds and conflicts get resolved by gaining bits of information, putting them with other bits of information, clearing up misunderstandings and thus gaining knowledge.
Backing away from my computer and looking out the window to the street below I see children going to the library. I note how fortunate they are to live in a country where there are libraries accessible to them, where they have schools and teachers, where they can easily gain information which will give them knowledge, and hence understanding and possibly even wisdom.
I also note how much iniquity there is in the world. Wrong doing by people who should know better and who would if they had the ability to learn right doing or who took advantage of the opportunity to gain the information that is available to them.
When I first began reading philosophy my main interest was in the field of ethics, a topic that has occupied philosophers since the beginning. It's a very complicated subject, it seems. And yet it's one of the most outward looking practices of the philosopher. It is germane to the subject of ethics that it address a conscientious and coordinated system of behavior toward other human beings and all living things. It necessarily focuses thought away from the self and onto one's place in society.
The world seems to be so filled with abuses: domestic violence, street gangs, robbery, rape, fathers attacking their sons' soccer coaches, teachers abusing their students, managers abusing their workers, child slavery and prostitution, owners abusing their animals, torture, graft and corruption in government and business, careless wasting of money by the rich, terrorism, racism, religious intolerance, fanaticism, revenge, the gouging of people's incomes by government, the shameless waste of natural resources, overpricing of necessary items, hatred, war and all other iniquities too many to name, that it seems most of the human race has never heard the word "ethics."
People will talk about ethical behavior on the left side while they are cheating their neighbors out of something on the right side. Or what is even worse, they will use the idea of ethics to justify some unethical behavior: "an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth."
My story has given me a chance to look some of this immorality in the face and explore it directly or indirectly. I'm not a great writer but I'm learning. I'm gaining knowledge. And one of the things I've learned is that in order to convey knowledge and understanding a writer must tell the truth and reveal things about himself. Secrets must be told. While it's true that he who has more knowledge can do more evil, he can also do more good. There is no such thing as generic good or generic evil in this life. It all comes down to the individual, his knowledge of the world around him and his behavior in it.
Vagabond Journeys
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
Managed Morality 11/26/08
It is great to be able to ask myself, what do I really like, and not what am I told I should like.
Elle Macpherson
**********************
Isn't it odd how we grow up with a set of likes, dislikes, behavior traits, opinions and perceptions of reality and what the world is, only to have to realize that most of it was simply given to us to accept without question and we, in fact, may have a different set that is wholly our very own. If by good fortune your parents, teachers and any other influncers of your life were consistent in their morals and minds, you have a fairly clear ethic to live by.. But what if you find out it isn't your ethic? What if you realize that the way you think is just a reflection of the way you have been told you should think? What do you do?
Some young folks become rebellious and throw out the family values with the bath water. Others begin the long, treacherous journey to understand themselves.
I was a thinking kid. (I grew up to be a thinking actor, the bane of many directors, particularly the less than brilliant ones.) As a thinking kid I had to process certain thoughts that were handed to me by my family. For one thing there was often a negative suffix added to observations about me, as in "You don't like squash? What's the matter with you?" Which taught me that there was something the matter with me and I didn't know what it was. Then there was "You have got to learn how to make something out of yourself." That meant that I wasn't anything and I didn't know how to become anything. And then there was the blue ribbon, solid gold, Oscar winner, "Well, I hope something comes along some day, hits you in the head and knocks some sense into you." That one told me I had no sense and I'd better watch out because something might hit me in the head any day. That last remark continued for about 35 years during which time life had already hit me in the head plenty of times, thank you.
Out of all that experience came that wonderful but slightly scary moment when something inside me said "Wait a minute! There's nothing the matter with me. If I don't like squash I don't have to like it. Period. If I don't behave the way you want me to, I don't have to. I behave the way I want to and I know why. And I don't need anything else to hit me in the head, I have enough sense already." In other words, out of the confusing mish mash of other people's opinions I was developing my own ethic. It wasn't great and it needed development and adaptations, but it was MINE.
It is a difficult problem to separate what you really think from what you still carry around from the influence of others. It's easy if you know, for certain, that you disagree. It gets harder when you finally realize that Mom was right. Maybe she wasn't right about everything, but there are a few that you know are true and you can go ahead and accept them as your own thinking,without having to accept the squash.
DB - The Vagabond
Elle Macpherson
**********************
Isn't it odd how we grow up with a set of likes, dislikes, behavior traits, opinions and perceptions of reality and what the world is, only to have to realize that most of it was simply given to us to accept without question and we, in fact, may have a different set that is wholly our very own. If by good fortune your parents, teachers and any other influncers of your life were consistent in their morals and minds, you have a fairly clear ethic to live by.. But what if you find out it isn't your ethic? What if you realize that the way you think is just a reflection of the way you have been told you should think? What do you do?
Some young folks become rebellious and throw out the family values with the bath water. Others begin the long, treacherous journey to understand themselves.
I was a thinking kid. (I grew up to be a thinking actor, the bane of many directors, particularly the less than brilliant ones.) As a thinking kid I had to process certain thoughts that were handed to me by my family. For one thing there was often a negative suffix added to observations about me, as in "You don't like squash? What's the matter with you?" Which taught me that there was something the matter with me and I didn't know what it was. Then there was "You have got to learn how to make something out of yourself." That meant that I wasn't anything and I didn't know how to become anything. And then there was the blue ribbon, solid gold, Oscar winner, "Well, I hope something comes along some day, hits you in the head and knocks some sense into you." That one told me I had no sense and I'd better watch out because something might hit me in the head any day. That last remark continued for about 35 years during which time life had already hit me in the head plenty of times, thank you.
Out of all that experience came that wonderful but slightly scary moment when something inside me said "Wait a minute! There's nothing the matter with me. If I don't like squash I don't have to like it. Period. If I don't behave the way you want me to, I don't have to. I behave the way I want to and I know why. And I don't need anything else to hit me in the head, I have enough sense already." In other words, out of the confusing mish mash of other people's opinions I was developing my own ethic. It wasn't great and it needed development and adaptations, but it was MINE.
It is a difficult problem to separate what you really think from what you still carry around from the influence of others. It's easy if you know, for certain, that you disagree. It gets harder when you finally realize that Mom was right. Maybe she wasn't right about everything, but there are a few that you know are true and you can go ahead and accept them as your own thinking,without having to accept the squash.
DB - The Vagabond
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