ETHICS

The thinking universe obeys to a goal because the thought cannot be a random superposition of mental events.

1-HAPPINESS IS THE GOAL

Societies, religions and philosophies have never clearly defined the goal of the universe. According to religious, the goal is goodness. Unfortunately, goodness is not clearly defined. On the contrary, the commandments are very detailed: To love other people just like yourself or to do not to other people what you do not like other people do to you, are certainly generous maxims but they have only a meaning if you know the God goal. Without such a goal, all these commandments are not grounded and can be interpreted at random just as the history shows that they have been.

Most of philosophies are also unable to define a goal. According to Kant, a good action comes from a will that could be established as a universal rational law. However, a will implies a goal and an empty formalism cannot judge it. On the other hand, materialists profess that there is no God, no goals, no real commandments, and finally no meaning. Today, most people think that the "moral laws" are deprived of any universal ground just as the materialists say (1).

Considering evolution, the ultimate goal could be found in the individual modalities of the thinking system. It means that we may discover it just in scrutinizing our own self and more precisely our own will. This examination shows that any living creature tends to pleasure and tries to alleviate pain. It means that happiness is the goal for individual modalities and consequently for the thinking universe.

We know that this position will bring many critics: religious may say that happiness is just a utilitarian or egoist goal and that it does not fit with morality and «human dignity". They believe that morality implies pain and a lot of "must do" grounded in nothing. In fact, they can say that their God assigns to men pain and misfortune for paying an original guilt but they cannot claim that happiness is not the goal of men. More seriously, some people object the difficulty to link happiness with a universal goal: For example, the happiness of noblemen was based on the pain of slaves and serfs. It is the same in nature: the pain felt by the prey balances the sensation of pleasure of a predator. Some philosophers like Kant state that happiness is quite impossible to define. For example, a man suffers of poverty. He suddenly becomes a millionaire. Then, he realizes that his wealth brings him many troubles!

These observations just mean that pleasure must be guided. Aristotle says that to act according to your own nature tends to a perfect happiness. Since Reason is the man property, it means that pleasure must be guided by reason. In fact, happiness is always a proportion between pleasure and reason. This proportion is relative to individuals and it is impossible to bring happiness to people without their freewill.

Since we have defined the goal, we can say that there is a truth in ethical matter. Ethics become a Science instead of a catalogue of principles only fitted to an epoch or a geographical place.

2-THE ETHICAL LAW

We have to examine the process that conducts to happiness. We cannot rely on the logical laws because they only apply to the forms and not to the individual subject’s actions. Indeed, these laws are neutral regarding pain and pleasure. Could we suppose that they tend to a balance of pain and pleasure? In fact, such a balance does not seem a fruitful concept because pain and pleasure are intensive. For example, let us suppose that four individuals suffer the same pain graded five. The collective intensity is then 5°. Now suppose that one of these men sacrifices himself to alleviate the pain of the others: His own pain rises to 30 degrees and his fellows see their pain get down from five to 2°. As a result, the collective pain is now: 30 + 2 + 2 + 2 / 4 = 9°. It means that from a collective point of view, pain has raised in the universe despite the sacrifice done by a very good man! We can observe that in the case of pleasure, the weighting is the same. At first glance, it could mean that the growing happiness of a singular individual raises the global intensity of pleasure in the whole community. This absurd result shows that we cannot expect a method based on a balance.

It means that beside the logical laws displayed in the nature, the thinking system contains also a hidden ethical law. We have thus to discover it. Firstly, the goal of the thinking system is happiness through its individual modalities (individual subjects); Secondly, since each subject choose his way to happiness; it is obvious that all the subjects must benefit of freedom. Thirdly, since all the subjects tend to happiness through different ways, it means that each individual way must reinforce the other ways: It is the only method to maximize happiness and then to perform the goal.

Now when we organize these principles, we can easily discover the hidden law: The ethical law states that each action bringing happiness to a free subject must bring happiness to other subjects. As long as the moral laws, established by men, deduce themselves from that ethical law, they have the same universal value as the scientific laws.

1-THE GOAL 2-THE LAW 3-ADVICES 4-CONCLUSION

3-ETHICAL ADVICES

We have to show how men can display the previous law through their actions.

Firstly, the law implies that every subject has freewill. Since freewill is a condition, it results that liberal democracy is the collective framework of happiness (2).

Science discovers natural laws and provides with technology. In turn, ethical Science provides with democratic laws and consequently ethical conducts. It also means that among the global evolution, human history is a key component. In short, the freedom odyssey must be a continuation of the spiritual odyssey (3)

As a result, there is a first golden rule:

1-Men do well when they fight for liberal democracy and obey to its laws.

Firstly, you have to preserve you own freedom. Secondly, be a freedom fighter and improve liberty for other people. The defense of liberty is your highest duty. It is a moral duty in accordance with the Law. Such a goal requires courage. Do not turn the other cheek to those who beat you. You have to struggle against human cruelty and tyrannies of societies. In this context, the moral values do not include Pacifism and no violence.

Regarding happiness, we may alleviate pain that is an absolute threat for every man whatever his age, social condition, geographical position and so on (4). In this domain, Science and technology enable to eradicate painful sensations. The real trend in global history shows undoubtedly that there is a strong relationship between the development of technology and the fall of pain in the world: Look at the drawing 1.

It means that we have to focus on science and technologies that alleviate the pain. We must also underline the role of education. As a result, we may write our second golden rule:

-Men do well when they extend Science, technology and education to alleviating pain.

I think that the best examples are the scientists who invent new remedies to alleviate the suffering people. Pasteur and Fleming have more extended happiness than most of the moralists of the old times.

Of course, you have to be happy by yourself. How could you bring happiness to other people if you are an unhappy person? How could you bring to other something that you do not experience by yourself? So the third golden rule is the following

-Work to be an happy person!

1-THE GOAL 2-THE LAW 3-ADVICES 4-CONCLUSION

4-CONCLUSION

The thinking system contains the following ethical law: each action bringing happiness to a free subject must bring happiness to other subjects.

Men have to display the ethical law through moral laws that have the same universal value as the scientific laws.

With Ethics, the scientific idealism demonstrates its superiority compared to materialism. It opens roads towards a meaningful universe while Materialism only tells reasonless stories.In the last lesson, we shall study our human destiny.

1-THE GOAL 2-THE LAW 3-ADVICES 4-CONCLUSION

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS

2 -The famous "Republic" of Plato examines the links between a social organization and goodness.

3 - Hegel in «Phenomenology of mind had notably expressed the idea of a link between the absolute spirit and history. Go to www.hegel.org

4- Death is nothing by itself. On the contrary, pain can be dreadful. Nobody can resist to physical pain. Kant said that it is shameful to cry or to complain when you endure a physical pain notably when you have merited it! What a strange ethics! Certainly, Kant had never endured real physical pain. His remark is inspired by the religious motto that describes pain as a beautiful redemption. In fact, physical pain is ugly . It means that when pain is irreversible and that you cannot relieve of it through medicine, the best guess is to choose euthanasia.

6 -Go to: www.omp.org.pl. It is a good site about Ethics and its influence on politics and civil society.

ETHICS

INTRODUCTION

1-HAPPINESS IS THE GOAL

2-THE ETHICAL LAW

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS