SCIENCE OF ETHICS: A User's Guide for Modern Humans
PREFACE
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Arthur M. Jackson
Copyright 1960, 1998, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2006
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LINKS: To sites compatible with this one
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There is only one Good, Knowledge
There is only one Evil, Ignorance.
. . . . . . . . Socrates.
To examine an introductory framework and brief explanation of the ideas presented on this site check here[1].
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SCIENCE OF ETHICS is designed to be read from front to back without dipping into sections randomly. Each idea depends on those that have already been presented. In order to develop a science of ethics it has been necessary to redefine or give a different spin to essentially every significant concept in Western thought. Unless this is recognized and the new meanings utilized the reader is likely to miss the point of this effort by assuming the ideas being presented are ones they are convinced have been disproven.
There will be some who question the wisdom of redefining these words. They would agree with the Ordinary Language Philosophers who say one should not use a word except as it is commonly understood. I follow a path closer to that of Bertrand Russell who had a goal to make words into accurate tools of thought. My understanding of words is that they are tools for communication -- whether in one's own brain, or with others -- of either things existing in the world or in human minds.
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When someone first gets the glimmer of a concept which is then expressed by a word, it is normal that the person or persons's grasp of the issue is fragmentary and mis-focused. Possibly they are unaware of things that are critical if one is to develop an accurate definition. As more is learned the definition must be altered to include this added knowledge. This is an essential process in the advancement of thought. A word's meaning must evolve as thought evolves otherwise there is a force to maintain the status quo and out-moded ideas and behavior. It is my belief that the words currently used to think about the key ideas upon which our culture is built have severe deficiencies. Unless these weaknesses are corrected our thinking is severely retarded. As E.O. Wilson wisely points out, "The first step to wisdom, as the Chinese say, is getting things by their right name." [2]
In keeping with the foregoing goal fanatical efforts are used here to avoid sexist language. Therefore, no words are assigned either male or female gender just because it is customary to do so. All unspecified individuals are assumed to be female as likely as male. Rather than using many he/she pronouns, "they" is frequently used in an effort to expand the modern practice permitting this option.
Although this book got its start in the early 50s as a short essay for a college ethics class, it was only recently that I realized I have been struggling all these years to create a science of ethics. Up until that point I had taken ethics to be a collection of ideas having essentially no value in helping persons select better over worse choices. Partially that was because I had become convinced that all behavior has an ethical dimension, and it, therefore, didn't seem useful to talk about ethics/morals. However, I changed my mind about discarding ethics/morals as an area of discussion after reading Frans De Waal's book, GOOD NATURED. (Also, see Volume II, Chapter 18-A, "Ethics, Morality, and Science," [3] where De Waal's book is analyzed in some depth.)
De Waal's writing convinced me that I had made a mistake. I now realize that when properly analyzed ethics is the foundation upon which everything important to human beings rests. A science of ethics would not only guide all human behavior, it would provide the grounding for science itself. However, many persons have been convinced that the foregoing thinking is based on erroneous ideas. They reach this conclusion because they see that the essence of science of ethics is getting an "ought" from an "is," and they have been convinced that philosopher G. E. Moore was correct when he named this the "naturalistic fallacy."[4] Therefore, this position has prematurely been discarded as an option for these individuals. Though Moore has told us there can be no science of ethics because of the "naturalistic fallacy," Moore was clearly wrong since as a philosopher he thought of "ought" as a Platonic ideal. If ethics/morals -- which I use interchangeably -- are defined empirically as dealing with beliefs that move one toward or away from achieving their full positive potential, then these terms become meaningful within the naturalistic framework of science.
At the same time beliefs become subject to scientific study and one can determine with varying degrees of certainty if a particular belief moves one toward or away from achieving their full positive potential. This determination may not be easy or even 100% accurate for a specific belief, but it should be at least as accurate as indicating that a given medicine, vaccine, or food will promote the health or wellbeing of a particular person.
Since ethics and morality have been at the heart of philosophy and religion for thousands of years, clearly they are important. And, due to the long history during which these terms have been used, and because of their fundamental role in current thought they now seem to me to not only be worth salvaging, but to provide the mechanism for turning the soft sciences into hard sciences and in fact providing the foundation upon which all science rests.
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This book consists of two volumes. VOLUME II[5] provides additional supportive evidence, information, ideas, etc. for the material provided in the following pages. VOLUME I -- presented here -- discusses the basic ideas laying the foundation for a science of ethics and described/defined in detail in Chapter Two. However, key terms will be briefly defined if they are introduced prior to Chapter Two so the reader need not guess what they might mean. Also, they are defined in the Glossary[6]
Science of ethics is a theory-based, empirical, experiment-driven effort to provide guidance to any adequately interested person in making moral choices; i.e., those choices that are in their long-term best interest. It has as its organizing principle "the meaning of human life" (operationally defined). A primary assumption of this approach is that "human beings are the ultimate reference system." This ties science into the meaning of human life issue and makes clear that the purpose of science is not to discover "objective knowledge," but rather to discover knowledge (i.e., improve our ability to predict) and work to ensure that all knowledge is used to help increasing numbers of persons to improve the quality of their life.
The aim of this book is the synthesis of all knowledge into one congruent, naturalistic system in which everything fits together and flows from one fact to another without artificial bridges or connections. The goal of this synthesis is to clarify how all human beings can achieve a meaningful life. The search is for real meaning and worthwhile living based on knowledge and understanding. It attributes the current conditions of barren human suffering, affliction, and anguish in the form of starvation, poverty, disease, depression, etc. to our collective ignorance. Knowledge is proposed as being the means for each individual to achieve their full positive potential. The foregoing term is defined in the following paragraph, and like earlier ones is discussed in great detail in Chapter Two.
Science of ethics interprets the "meaning of life" for the members of each species as being the perpetuation of their species. To do that individual members are programmed to take nourishment, reproduce, and die. However, since the survival of the human species depends on changing memes even more than on changing genes, meaning of life for a human involves their beliefs (memes) not just their genes. Achieving their full positive potential requires beliefs that aid each person in recognizing that the meaning of their life requires maintaining and developing the human species. The beliefs that sustain this feeling can only be determined empirically (by studying individuals and societies). A given belief must be measured in terms of its effects on all of humanity and over generations, not merely in terms of some small segment of a particular person's life.
The view presented here is that the human condition can best be improved by developing a science of ethics that provides an organizing principle able to connect all knowledge into one congruent whole, available for use by all persons. When any group is able to work to achieve the foregoing, I call this state utopia. For me utopia is not a static, perfect state. Rather, it is the state that exists when a group is working collectively to improve the human condition.
And, to accomplish the foregoing a science of ethics is required to plainly set forth the requirements necessary in order for human beings to achieve their full positive potential. For me all of this boils down to clarifying how individuals can experience more joy and experience it now and all of their tomorrows.
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Because a science of ethics would be concerned with all knowledge, anything written about it can be true only in the sense that any scientific principle, is true -- that it leads to better understanding, new insights, more successful prediction, etc.
The reader must view this book in that light. If they are looking for Truth in the Platonist sense, they will not find it here. The ideas presented are not seen as invariant truths, but more as theories, hypotheses, or possibilities. If further thought or research shows them to be untenable or untrue, they must be discarded.
On the other hand this is a science focused on helping persons to make the best choices possible in their life. It speaks for joy in living and focused action. More than that: It demands action. This science of ethics is meant to change the world; to replace inadequate societies with better ones. The aim is to determine what is good and lasting in life and how such may be attained. The foregoing is a scientific pursuit and must be pursued scientifically. Faith-based and authority-based societies can never be wholly adequate for any of their members. More humane and honest communities must be achieved. Herein lies a framework which, I hope, will help the reader to join with others in building better communities, and make clear what better means.
Throughout history religions have been set up to tell persons what to believe, what to do, how, what, where, when, why based on an authoritative if not authoritarian foundation. Science of ethics, however, is a theory-based system of ethics dependent upon empirical findings. It requires that the participants become agents for change in whatever ways are necessary to allow them and an ever increasing number of individuals to be able to benefit from its ideas, recommendations, and practices. If readers would like to see a science of ethics developed, they could do this by helping to establish wisdom groups to work with other interested persons to turn the vision presented here into a reality.
Unless this book sparks a dialogue, action, a focused effort, it has failed in its purpose. To participate in a science of ethics discussion group register below.
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VOLUME I: CONTENTS .
To examine the introductory proposal and overview for this site check here.
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PREFACE.................................................. ....................arthurmjackson.com/wpre.html
CONTENTS........... .........................................................arthurmjackson. com/wpre.html#b
GLOSSARY ........................................................... arthurmjackson.com/wglossary.html
INTRODUCTION ........................................................... arthurmjackson.com/wint.html
CHAPTER ONE: Humanity's Goal Now In Sight......... arthurmjackson.com/4211/w1a.html
"Tribal" propensities and "wisdom" potential
CHAPTER TWO: THE SCIENCE OF ETHICS................. arthurmjackson.com/w2a1.html
The Essence of this System............... arthurmjackson.com/w2a1.html#Q2
Expanded Explanation of this System......... arthurmjackson.com/w2a1.html#d
The Science of Ethics (Meaning of Life)....... arthurmjackson.com/w2a1.html#d
Requirement for Universality........ arthurmjackson.com/w2a2.html#e
Requirement for Objectivity........arthurmjackson.com/w2a2.html#f
Requirement for Consistency........ arthurmjackson.com/w2a2.html#g
Human Beings Are the Ultimate Reference System...... /w2a3.html#h
Cause and effect (p.6)
TRUTH............ arthurmjackson.com/w2a3b.html#i
KNOWLEDGE........ arthurmjackson.com/w2a3b.html#j
WISDOM........... arthurmjackson.com/w2a3b.html#Q3
Importance of Meaning of Human Life....... arthurmjackson.com/w2a3b.html#l
Meaning of Human Life Defined.......... arthurmjackson.com/w2a3b.html#m
Sustainability Measures Correctness...... arthurmjackson.com/w2a3b.html#n
Empirical Data Necessary........ arthurmjackson.com/w2a3b.html#o
What is the Purpose of Knowledge?...... arthurmjackson.com/w2a3b.html#Q4
Attributes of a Sustainable Belief that one's Life Has Meaning.... /w2a3b.html#q
The Ways of Wisdom.............................................. arthurmjackson.com/w2a3c.html#qr
Necessity of an Enlightened (i.e., Moral, Good, or Wise) Community .... /w2b1.html#r
What is an Enlightened (i.e., Moral, Good, or Wise) Community? ..... /w2b1.html#t
What is an Enlightened (or, Moral, Good, or Wise) Person?......................... /w2b2.html#u
What is The "I" or "Self"?................................... arthurmjackson.com/w2b2.html#v
Building an Enlightened (i.e., Moral, Good, or Wise) Community .................. /w2b4.html
FIRST WAY: Human Beings Are the Ultimate Reference System........................... /w2d1.html
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SECOND WAY: Advance Humanity ................................ arthurmjackson.com/w2d2.html
THIRD WAY: Seek to Understand ...................................arthurmjackson.com/w2d3.html
FOURTH WAY: Faith/Belief .................................. arthurmjackson.com/w2d4a.html
Fundamentalism...... ....................................................... /w2d4a.html#F
Post-Modernism... ............................... /w2d4a.html#PM
FIFTH WAY: Make Best Choices ................................. arthurmjackson.com/w2d5.html
SIXTH WAY: Improve Yourself ................................ arthurmjackson.com/w2d6a.html
SEVENTH WAY: Master Pain ................... arthurmjackson.com/w2d7.html
EIGHTH WAY: Help and be helped by Others .............. arthurmjackson.com/w2d8a.html
NINTH WAY: Increase Knowledge ............. arthurmjackson.com/w2d9.html
TENTH WAY: Give Every Child a Nurturing Home ............. /w2dx.html
ELEVENTH WAY: Make of Your Life a Spiritual Quest ......... /w2dxi.html
Organizing for an Enlightened (i.e., Moral, Good, or Wise) Community .... /wo2a.html
The Wisdom Group & Center for the Application of Wisdom... /wo2a.html#Q5
Other Support Organizations ................... /wo2b1.html
Organization to Enhance the Quality of Human Life............ /wo2b1.html#b
New Ideas, Revolutionary Insights, And/Or Unique Answers Institute
........................................................................ ....... arthurmjackson.com/wo2b1.html#cThe School ........... arthurmjackson.com/wo2b1.html#d
Choices Are Us.............................................. arthurmjackson.com/wo2b1.html#e
Emergency Services Center....................... arthurmjackson.com/wo2b1.html#f
Center for Mastering Living....................... arthurmjackson.com/wo2b2.html
A Place for Kids......................... arthurmjackson.com/wo2b2.html#h
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The Computer Connection................... arthurmjackson.com/wo2b2.html#i
The Radio Link......................... arthurmjackson.com/wo2b2.html#j
Corporation for Universal Employment.......... arthurmjackson.com/wo2b2.html#k
Center for the Practical Application of Wisdom News Group.... /wo2b2.html#l
Health Care Clinic....................... arthurmjackson.com/wo2b2.html#m
Regional Planning and Coordinating Institutions...... /wo2b2.html#n
Organization for the Protection of Labor........... arthurmjackson.com/wo2b2.html#o
CHAPTER THREE: SPREADING MEANING: A NEW FOUNDATION FOR CIVILIZATION ..................... arthurmjackson.com/w3a1.html
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GO ON TO GLOSSARY
1. Synopsis of Science of Ethics.
2. CONSILIENCE: The Unity of Knowledge, Edward O. Wilson, p. 4, Knopf, New York, 1998.
3. GOOD NATURED: The Origins of Right and Wrong in Humans and Other Animals, Frans De Waal, Harvard University Press, Cambridge, MA, 1996.
4. The Naturalistic Fallacy: English philosopher G. E. Moore's term for any efforts attempting to get an "ought" from an "is." Considered to be a specious concept by science of ethics.
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