Atheist? We can fix that…

As an academic philosopher I tend to be cautious with simplifying ethics and political philosophy in any way – much less to a ‘list’. But I also think making up such lists can help us reflect – and as such they might be a useful tool for the pursuit a reasonable ethics.

My version would probably go like this:

THE 10 IDEALS OF A RATIONAL, ETHICAL PERSON

1. Always seek to minimize the harm you do. Always investigate the ethical implications of your actions.

2. Do your best to ensure the continuity of the human species and the biodiversity around you at the highest standard of living possible.

3. Do your best to ensure that everyone is granted the same maximal schema of basic rights and liberties compatible with the same schema for everyone else.

4. Always demand rational justification in consideration of all available facts before accepting any claim. Always remind yourself that you are biased. Try to identify your biases and correct your estimation of the situation accordingly.

5. Remind yourself: You are a part of the universe – asking yourself questions about yourself, others and this universe you live in – you are a part of nature reflecting on itself. Be that as best you can by learning, enlightening others and expanding the boundaries of knowledge.

6. Beware of ideologies, rituals, and placing value on symbols – in all cases.

7. Be reflective of your preconceptions – where they are met with criticism, distance yourself emotionally from them and assess them as critically as you can. Only if they withstand
even the most critical inquiry are you justified in continuing to employ them.

8. For every question we have about the world there are a multitude of legitimate routes of inquiry – consider all. For every scientific discipline you study, study what academic philosophy has to say about it. For every philosophical discipline you study, study what science has to say about it.
Try not just to expand our knowledge – try to unify it.

9. Meaning is not found – it is created. Only you can make this life meaningful for yourself – but you won’t be able to do so alone. Turn not to myth and fantasy – turn to friends and family, for what you can find in them is what you can give to them: Meaning … everything.

10. Try to be patient with others – or you’ll become bitter. Yes, the world can be a crazy a place – but one more embittered cynic isn’t going to make it better for anyone.

______________________________

Well, I can’t say I can always live up to that – especially number 10… but I think it’s absolutely worth trying.

I know some may raise a brow or two at the point about philosophy – but it really is important. As someone who has studied science, I am often amazed at how easily many philosophers can ignore the implications of scientific fact. As a philosopher (of the analytic tradition), I am often amazed at how easily many scientists can ignore glaring conceptual problems in their approaches or make unwarranted interpretational inferences for lack of awareness of their own preconceptions and those of the theories they employ explicitly or implicitly.

But, as I am very happy to say, in every scientific discipline there are – among the most prominent experts – enough how are aware of the importance of dealing with the philosophical issues involved – and of the value of scientifically knowledgable philosophers in the relevant debates – just as in every philosophical discipline, there are enough who will always do their best to look for related empirical questions and take into account what science has to tell us in regard to them.

Two of the best examples (IMO) are the issues in philosophy of biology and animal cognition (see the respective entries in the stanford online encyclopedia of philosophy)

There’s no reason to single out religion when such great atrocities have been committed naming no God: e.g. Stalin, responsible for perhaps 20 million deaths of his own people.

HOW DO YOU DARE! ANTI-BRITISH BIGOT!

Would you prefer a power of 2 instead?

And define peace.

But I’ve already had one argument with him about thinking things through.