Jan
8
Peace
Basically, we all live by means of reason. Our capability to diagnosis and infer reason enables us to exist and progress healthily. No body takes birth with prior knowledge of what is good or what is right. (Although the DNA/Genes acts like Tabula Rasa, a pre-programmed basis for the capacity to learn and perceive reason) We learn reason and understand on the basis of it what is good for us and what is bad. The proper stimulus of Pleasure/Pain and emotions helps us to understand the reason and make our line of actions properly on the basis of reason and our own perceptions of reason. Rational self-interest becomes our motive to decide for our ethical lines. One’s self-interest is NOT at all in whatever one happens to feel alike but self-interest is by reason that one identifies to acknowledge what is profitable for him and what is not. Until one is not ready to examine his own actions on the basis of reason for the self-interest, he cannot be Moral. Religion and Theism has nothing to do with it.
There is a name Bertrand Russell. He states a lot about conventional morality. He states moral judgment express individual desires or accepted habits. He says both the so-called ascetic saint and the so-called detached saint are poor human models because they are incomplete human beings. Complete human beings participate fully in the life of society and express all of their nature, desires, feelings etc. There must be a check on some impulses in the interests of society and others in the interest of individual development, but it is a person’s relatively unhindered natural intensification and self-realization, that makes for the high-quality life and harmonious society. According to Kierkegaard and Nietzsche, ethical choices are a subject of Individual preference. If you find FUCK unutterable, do not use it. Do not oppose others if they find it easy on their tongue. Paul Tillich stressed over the courage to be oneself and the uniqueness of the individual and the importance of communication between individuals. Let it flourish Unhindered. Let the Individual decide his rationales, his ethical lines His sense of right and wrong (Dharma) let him devote towards his work/goal and aim according to his ethical lines and rationales completely (Karma). Nature will decide the course of his actions, and their reactions and judge them as summation (Yoga) and he will be bound to bear the results of his self-chosen ethical lines/rationales/sense of right and wrong, and his actions based on them, be it pleasurable or sufferings (Bhoga).
Ayn Rand’s objectivistic morals suffice all.
Virtues are the principle policies a man must adopt in order to lead a rational living progressing towards self-development, self-interest and logical improvement resulting in unhindered happiness which is the first moral principle of an Individual. To be happy is the first moral principle.
One virtue is reasonability; the virtue of reasonability confirms that to exercise reason as fundamental good, and to remain committed to act in accordance with reasons is the virtue of reasonability. The other virtue is Honesty which states that facts are facts, and reasons are not dependent on one’s emotions and biased perceptions, he must be dispassionate towards reasons and must follow the reasons with complete Honesty. Other virtue is virtue of productiveness which confirms that the values and vital principles (Dharma) one needs to survive, must be produced and not taken for granted. The rational moral values must not be taken from some dogmatic system but by independent learning of the reasons. Independence is again a Virtue which confirms that an individual must think and act by virtue of his own efforts and not by following someone else. Reasons cannot be indoctrinated, they are to be acquired, although the guide/teacher may help, but indoctrination is crap. (Montessori schooling system is right), the policy of remaining committed for one’s own application of mental/cognitive faculty(mind) to learn, interpret and accept reason is virtue of independence, one may use books/teachers/guides, but he has to work for his own, no one can/should indoctrinate.
Integrity is also a virtue. One must uncompromisingly believe in one’s own acquired moral principles and act according to them (Karma) to believe in one set of principles, and act on other set is hypocrisy which is a vice. Justice is another virtue while Injustice is vice.
To judge one own self and others on the basis of reasons and their values (moral principles) and to act accordingly is virtue of justice while to give someone more or less than what they deserves on the basis of reasons and moral values is injustice which is a vice. Pride is most important virtue. Pride is moral ambitiousness and will to be independent and self-sustaining, pride is the ambition of a person to be at best on the scales of reasons and moral values and to be the best one can by his own individual’s competing within him/herself.
Following moral based on the reasons and acquired by cognitive understanding, one achieves the virtuous happiness. Pleasure and pain, emotional sufferings etc are just tools to make an individual realize that he is furthering towards some irrational and wrong premise and he must check his course of actions.
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1 viewsNo Responses to “Ethics, Morals and Theism”
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Harsh Says:
January 8th, 2008 at 10:08 pmnicely written and i am in complete agreement with u !!!!!!
S Ramanathan Says:
January 9th, 2008 at 11:49 amwhat is amoral? antonym of moral?
if yes, then i dont quite agree with u that rational ppl cannot be amoral…
if not, cool…
gaurav Says:
January 9th, 2008 at 1:39 pmAgreed.
and Nicely and systematically written.
Me Says:
January 9th, 2008 at 3:07 pm@s ramnathan
a rational action itself can be illogical.
Practical reasoning many a times is influenced by cognitive biases which makes it illogical. as for example, Optimism is rational, but if a child is missing, and her father is looking for her in every hospital, yet ignoring the morgue because looking in morgue for the child is non-productive and pessimistic, then it cannot be called as logical. It is a rational action yet biased. Reason are different from cognitive ability, and the cognitive ability must be strong enough to keep away the biases.
If a rational action is illogical, it cannot be moral.
sidhu Says:
January 9th, 2008 at 4:17 pmThe post is very simple yet rich in meanings and values
sourav Says:
January 16th, 2008 at 8:28 pmbit complicated but very well written…. and i very much agree with the complete human being thing :)