SECOND WAY OF WISDOM Arthur M. Jackson
Copyright 2001, 2003, 2006
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SECOND WAY OF WISDOM: Endeavor to maintain and develop the human species. Support efforts to develop Enlightened Communities.
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Science of Ethics is based on the thesis that the best way to maintain and develop humanity is to help to increase the percentage of the population who achieve a Sustainable Belief that their Life Has Meaning. It's not merely how many individuals there are in the universe that is important, but the quality of life that each one experiences. There are many things that will help advance the quality of life for humanity. Certainly any given individual cannot be equally active or effective in all areas. The important point is that this WAY OF WISDOM supports the development of whatever ideas, structures, plans, etc. are necessary to help more persons direct their thoughts and energies toward maintaining and advancing humanity. Fulfilling the EIGHTH WAY OF WISDOM (help and be helped by other people) will in itself be a large component of this WAY OF WISDOM. Currently, essentially everyone harms others, sometimes in ways that limit those persons' ability to achieve a Sustainable Belief that their Life Has Meaning. Much of this harm results because individuals have not received sufficient guidance from their society to understand and overcome their "tribal" propensities.
As discussed in Chapter One, these raw "tribal" propensities include the dominance/submission, "us vs. them," "world works by magic/wishing," "family separation at puberty," "territoriality," "promiscuity." Although there may be other propensities that have some effects the foregoing ones are the prime ones that cause such tremendous harm to humanity today. It is a basic assumption of this book that these raw propensities can be productively directed when one's community presents clear ideas on how to incorporate these drives into becoming one's best self. Part of this recognizes that humanity is in the process of inventing itself. Any given individual must buy into the value of this goal if they are to become an Enlightened Person and help create an Enlightened Community. Once they are committed to becoming an Enlightened Person, than they must become an active participant in a Wisdom Group in order to discover how to stay on that path, and to help others do the same.
Sometimes persons harm others because they don't realize the effects of what they are doing. Here society must develop mechanisms for providing adequate feedback. Sometimes persons harm others because they are so mentally disturbed, or socially alienated they don't care, or can't help what they are doing. Here society needs to establish resources to handle such situations. (See "Other Support Organizations.") At the beginning this will seem like an overwhelming task. Currently, most of society is in need of such help, and some of the help needed is not even available at this stage of human knowledge. But -- like for all things -- we must do our best with the expectation that this will impact the problem positively and build a foundation that will support further growth.
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Another area that will advance humanity involves gaining a greater control over disease, illness, disability, and death. Although it would be pointless to strive for immortality, all persons should attempt to be healthy, active, and effective. As such it might be useful to have a goal of extending life to 150 years. That would give persons the time to appreciate the fruit of their efforts. Obviously, merely to prolong the life of the old and enfeebled is no worthy goal. Provision for voluntary euthanasia is an essential component of the Enlightened Community. At the same time society must look into the basic mysteries of life and aging and learn how to retard aging to allow more years at one's prime.
However, the foregoing is merely an example. A many pronged attack needs to be mounted against the ignorance that surrounds the species Modern Humans. There will always be unknowns, but it seems that ignorance about the workings of the human body should always be a top priority for study and research, theory building, and speculation. A greater share of our scientific energies should be focused on increasing our understanding of the human body. With such efforts society would learn ways to help more and more people achieve a Sustainable Belief that their Life Has Meaning. Researchers must strive to find out more about the basic mysteries of body functions. Society needs to learn how to increase intelligence, treat malfunctions, eliminate inherent defects, etc. Anything that prevents or retards the achievement of a Sustainable Belief that one's Life Has Meaning for anyone needs prime attention to overcome. And much of this work would be done with the involvement and assistance of those effected so that their lives would actually become part of this important effort.
Part of this process might include involvement in what I will term the Christopher Reeve [1] model for persons effected by conditions not currently treatable, or at least not treatable in such a way as to permit functioning within the normal parameters for a human being. The essence of this model is to take one's condition as an opportunity to help humanity in general by providing one's body in all its attributes to focus on this condition and support efforts to cure, overcome, live with the condition and turn it from a liability into the channel one uses to advance humanity. It thereby becomes one's personal contribution to the process of improving human life for all.
The reduction of poverty and the suffering it produces is a vital necessity to human advancement. Knowledge holds out the potential of providing unlimited wealth for every human being. [1.b] Humanity lives in a universe of potential abundance. An abundance of love, friendship, support, and nurturing exists within humanity's capability to make available to everyone. Also, material abundance -- anything necessary to the Enlightened Person -- is within our grasp. The only thing that keeps every person from sharing in that abundance is ignorance. (See VOLUME II, Chapter 14-A, "Bionomics: Economics and the Enlightened Community.") [2]
Developing knowledge and using it more effectively is the essence of a Science of Ethics and the Enlightened Community. Many aspects of the foregoing issue are considered in the Eighth Way of Wisdom (Help and be helped by other people.) However, much of the poverty and suffering of humanity is due to a lack of understanding of things outside of human beings. The possibility of a Sustainable Belief that one's Life Has Meaning for each person did not exist until our knowledge base reached a critical level. That has only happened at this time because Western science has provided the knowledge necessary to develop the complex tools and capitalism made it possible to build and use them in the production of industrial, science, and consumer goods. These have allowed goods and services to be so efficiently and abundantly produced that people need devote little of their time to this end. As a result people have more time to develop their minds and engage in satisfying activities. However, people need to realize that technology must be used to improve the quality of human life. Unfortunately, the negative impact of capitalism and new technology has frequently not been taken into account. (See VOLUME II, Chapter 28, "Managing Change In an Enlightened Community.")[3]
The Organization to Enhance the Quality of Human Life[4] would function to help all persons fulfill the needs involved in this WAY OF WISDOM. An Organization to Enhance the Quality of Human Life would provide the structures to allow persons individually and in groups to gather the data, to supply knowledge to help more and more persons achieve a Sustainable Belief that their Life Has Meaning.
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The Knowledge Bank -- which brings together everything that is known or speculated about -- would be one of the resources of an Organization to Enhance the Quality of Human Life. (See VOLUME II, Chapter 19, "The Knowledge Bank and an Enlightened Community.") [5] Also, an Organization to Enhance the Quality of Human Life would allow every person a way to channel their insights, unique experiences, etc. into society's knowledge base in order that it would not be lost -- so that it would achieve maximum utilization to ensure the survival and development of humanity.
The Organization to Enhance the Quality of Human Life would have the flexibility necessary so that whatever the individual's specific circumstance they could be shown a way to be part of the Knowledge "Revolution." Some persons might assemble teams and coordinate the myriads of details needed to accomplish a particular task. This could even involve the hiring of scientists to find a cure for a particular disease, achieve a project goal such as establishing a colony on the Moon, finding a way to guide the evolution of all species in order to keep Earth a desirable place to for human living regardless of the changes it experiences, etc. (Keeping in mind the issues raised in VOLUME II, Chapter 28, "Managing Change in an Enlightened Community.")[3]
One exciting method to promote this Way might be by combining recreational games and "research." Currently there is so much talent wasted (not directed toward helping individuals achieve a Sustainable Belief that their Life Has Meaning) it is criminal. One would hope that a Center for the Practical Application of Wisdom would significantly impact this problem. However, there will probably always be room for improvement in this area. One way that comes to my mind is to establish "Discovery Games" that not only provide enjoyable times with friends, but actually produce knowledge that becomes part of the data base available to humanity.
Suppose a couple of friends, or a group has a tradition of meeting socially on a weekly basis for several hours or so. Instead of playing cards, bowling, watching athletic events on TV, etc. they might select a "Discovery Game" packet from a list of available offerings from their local Organization to Enhance the Quality of Human Life. These game packets might be put together by sponsors over-whelmed by too much data to adequately process in a timely fashion. Suppose the group selects as their game, analyzing data from space probe X? They might study records made by this space probe, but not yet analyzed by scientists because of lack of time. The group could search for gems in the mountain of data and bring these to the attention of "Game" monitors, or sponsors. Their findings would increase the efficiency of project scientists studying this data while providing increasing numbers of persons a way to experience the joy of discovery. This process could also ensure that individuals do not feel alienated and useless members of society. When properly established and functioning this project might provide a way to process the current and soon to increase vast storehouses of unexamined data. Currently it takes years, possibly decades for this material to be made available to humanity. Many areas of social concern -- e.g., the relationship between specific beliefs and the individual's behavior -- have never been properly analyzed due not only to lack of the desire, but should that exist, there still would be a lack of available talent to perform the analysis. Also see VOLUME II, Chapter 32, "Science for Everyone."[6]
Another method of advancing humanity would be by using the principles of Federal Union to develop a world government for all the people of the world starting with those nations most experienced in democratic government. This goal was first propounded by Clarence K. Streit in his book UNION NOW[7]. The importance of this goal will depend upon the ease with which individuals can become Enlightened Persons. The more difficult the task the greater the importance of international federal union. It is an important goal any way one looks at it, though. The world must be governed by a political body organized on a more basic foundation than alliances such as NATO or the United Nations. The advance of science and ethics requires a better functioning political foundation. The perpetuation and expansion of the good life for all persons demands international federal union -- maximum freedom, no wars, one currency, no borders, improved communication, protection of the individual. Hopefully better communication and data gathering would reduce the regular effects of pressure groups, "old boy" clubs, etc.
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However, one caveat on the idea of universal federal union. It is critical that local governing areas have the broadest range of independence compatible with the safety of the individual. This opportunity to be different is essential if we are to have a broad range of human experimentation, variety, customs, etc. to draw from to cope with the unknown and the unexpected. This suggestion comes out of ideas discussed in VOLUME II, Chapter 14-A, "Bionomics: Economics and the Enlightened Community[2]." Rothschild [8] considers economics and evolution as equivalent systems whose primary difference is their time scale. To me this brought to mind the point that an extensive gene pool is very difficult to change even when superior mutations arise. The foregoing is true because of the mass, or the inertia of the size of the pool to be effected. A similar problem can arise with businesses or any human organizations.
The bigger they are the more difficult they are to change. Presumably in an Enlightened Community made up of Enlightened Persons this would not be the case. However, becoming too big to change must be guarded against at any rate.
Humanity might also be advanced by adopting a world language not of any country. The foregoing would allow all the people of the world to converse with each other, experience greater comradery, and read all the literature of the world by knowing just two languages. By understanding the people of other cultures one becomes able to share in their knowledge, experiences, and insights. The more people who thus understand each other the more secure is human well being. With the free exchange of persons allowed by political union a common tongue which could be used all over the world becomes even more important. Also, every person might be motivated to learn two languages, but expecting them to learn more seems unrealistic to me.
Perhaps, study of human brains and how they process language might permit the development of a new language very different from any now in existence. This language might vastly increase the ability of people to think, communicate, and act. For more discussion of the preceding topic, see VOLUME II, Chapter 25-A, "A Universal Language and Science of Ethics." [9] However, with the advent of computer real-time translation, even language may soon cease to be an impenetrable barrier to communication to persons lacking a language in common.
Also, humanity would be helped by universal adoption of the best measuring systems. An example is the universal adoption of the Celsius temperature scale and the metric measuring system. Metric units are so easy to use and are so necessary to international commerce that one cannot justify the continued use of any other units, at least not by saying, "Change would be difficult." Of course this primarily applies to the U.S. since the rest of the world has already adopted the metric system. And the difficulty the U.S. has had in changing to the metric system is an example of the difficulty of changing vast governmental realms and bodies where democracy is practiced, and short-term self-interest of individuals rules political decisions that have long-term consequences.
Adoption of a better calendar might be valuable. It must be realized that a calendar is a measuring instrument. One of the first requirements of any measuring system is that it is stable and as unvarying as is necessary. The Gregorian calendar certainly does not fulfill this requirement. It is such a bad measuring instrument that each year every measuring instrument(i.e., calendar) must be thrown out and a different one used for the following year. This changing of the length and structure of one of our most widely used measuring units is worthy of serious thought.
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Reform might begin by selecting a new event from which to start measuring time -- an event that is more neutral than the Hijra of the Muslims, the "birth of Jesus of Nazareth" of the Christians, or the "date of Creation" of the Jews. One person who has been pursuing calendar reform for the past several years is Cesare Emiliani[10]. He is a geoscientist at the International Academy of Science in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida. Emiliani suggests using the beginning of the current geologic period -- the Holocene epoch -- as the starting point of the calendar. Using the Holocene epoch as the zero point would add 10,000 years to the current Gregorian calendar so that, for example, 2000 CE would become 12,000 New Calendar. The Holocene epoch has important worldwide significance because it marks the end of the last ice age and the beginning of agriculture.
Possibly there should be a complete revision of the calendar itself. Perhaps, even the proposed Perpetual Gregorian or Duodecimal Calendars do not go far enough. Incorporating the Julian Day[11] into a calendar might be able to satisfy several goals at the same time. If no changes were made in the present Julian Day system this would solve the problem of the 24-hour day and 60-minute hour, time zones, starting point, etc. because the Julian Day is divided decimally. Also, it has a neutral starting point based on astronomical cycles, and no time zones. It provides the same time everywhere. This model would focus on the social dimension of time rather than the "natural" dimension. Is all this practical? Possibly not! But the issue is important enough for serious exploration.
Striving to reach the stars is another necessary avenue of human advancement. Only if humanity is spread over a large portion of the Universe, will it be secure from local cosmic disaster such as the passage of erratic suns, collision of Earth with a large meteor, solar energy fluctuations, etc. Also, only by moving into space can the chances of being destroyed by alien life forms be reduced. (It is admitted that the foregoing possibility is quite remote. Any intelligent life form that has mastered the capability of moving among the stars would surely nurture the miracle of life wherever it is found, not destroy it. And, unintelligent life forms would be unlikely to be dangerous to earth life.)
Moving into space might eventually aid in preventing the overpopulation of Earth, particularly as human beings live longer and longer life times. This will probably never be a very important motive, but it could conceivably become a helpful one. (Perhaps, by exiling those persons who are unable to see Earth as a closed system with limits. Just kidding!) Obviously, the only reasonable way overpopulation can ultimately be prevented is by limiting births.
But more importantly people will eventually be halted in their efforts to understand the universe if they do not advance beyond the limiting conditions encountered on Earth. To understand the Universe, humanity must at least to some extent advance into it. And to understand the Earth and everyday problems, human beings must understand the Universe. The striving to reach the stars will also furnish another constructive outlet for human energy. A society advances or it degenerates. It cannot stand still.
This WAY OF WISDOM would draw from all human wisdom to increase the likelihood that significant energy will not be wasted on trivial pursuits while at the same time ensuring that every issue of potential importance has its task force working to deal with it in a timely, and productive manner. Every person who shares the vision would be engaged in the active pursuit of this goal, and will in the process be helped toward becoming their best self.
Because current folk religions focus their primary attention on what happens after the individual dies there is little concern for the species and how an individual might work consciously to help ensure the continued existence and development of the species. As a result most people essentially live as do the flowers, the birds, and the tapeworm. They don't use their life in such a way as to combine their joy with promoting the future of humanity. The goal of a Science of Ethics would be to change all that. It would direct the individual toward developing their "wisdom" potential and achieving a sustainable belief that their life has meaning.
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GO ON TO THIRD WAY OF WISDOM .
1. Superstar Christopher Reeves (Superman) became a paraplegic due to a horse riding accident. He has thereafter focused his life, ability, and energy with the help of his loving wife, Dana, toward supporting efforts to find cures for this condition. (This issue is discussed in more detail in the Seventh Way of Wisdom.)
1.b ENGINES OF CREATION, K. Eric Drexler, Anchor Press/Doubleday, Garden City, NY, 1986. This book presents exciting ideas about nanotechnology and how science can make every person "rich," or misusing this power can make earth a barren desert or worse.
2. VOLUME II, Chapter 14.A, "Bionomics: Economics and the Enlightened Community."
3. VOLUME II, Chapter 28, "Managing Change In an Enlightened Community."
4. See "Organizing for an Enlightened Community."
5. VOLUME II, Chapter 19, "The Knowledge Bank and an Enlightened Community."
6. VOLUME II, Chapter 32, "Science for Everyone."
7. UNION NOW, Clarence K. Streit, Harper & Brothers, New York, 1949.
8. BIONOMICS: The Inevitability of Capitalism, Michael Rothschild, Henry Holt, New York, 1990.
9. VOLUME II, Chapter 25.A, "A Universal Language and the Science of Ethics."
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