Ethics: Self-imposed law

....Mere obedience to law does not measure the greatness of a nation. [Such obedience] can easily be obtained by a strong executive, and most easily of all by a timorous people. Nor is the license of behavior which so often accompanies the absence of law, and which is miscalled liberty, a proof of greatness. The true test is the extent to which the individuals composing the nation can be trusted to obey self-imposed law.


Lord Moulton (John Fletcher Moulton) in 1924

Utilitarianism considers that those actions are good which serve to maximise human well-being.

John Stuart Mill

Aristotle took the point of view that ‘excellence in moral character and behaviour’ is the basis for ideal action. This focuses on what kind of people we should be, using terms such as integrity, good judgement, honesty and social responsibility.






Reductionism in Materialism

Perhaps the most interesting question, which was not discussed, is whether it is axiomatic that any justification of materialism is entirely dependent upon reductionism. In any case, one may identify three basic epistemic realms that, prior even to questions about free will and so on, the materialist must address, the consonance of which is surely questionable in the absence of a holistic approach. The first is the resolving of matter exclusively to particles; the second, the interconnectedness of all matter as though by an indivisible and incognisable substrate, and the third, a phenomenalist aspect, that matter, as framed by human understanding, can in principle be resolved to experience. Taking the last of these, if specific electrical operations in the brain are synonymous with experiences then any attempt to resolve matter exclusively to particles has failed, since the particles have associated to them a potential the outcome of which - experience - is irreducible in all regards save the psychological. As I have said previously, it is the very rigidity of the fundamental constants of nature, themselves sustaining the structure of matter and, with it, the Cartesian/Newtonian principle of the conservation of momentum, that renders matter tangible. The constants thus serve as the universal substrate. Quantum mechanics, through which it becomes apparent that a purely atomistic approach to materialism is untenable, deserved discussion.

Tom Milner-Gulland – materialism




Stakeholders interaction on ethical issues

In thinking about different stakeholder groups reaction to ethical issues, primarily we need to understand their world views. Since each group is entitled to his opinion and the rights to push forward specialised agenda, efforts and financial means should be directed to integrate moral approach in educational programmes. The rational is to promote a system which is conducive in that to "expose moral perspectives" to diverse players during the course of their life and profession, given we live at a time of technology enabled accelerated life, divided by walls of specialisation, where the pace of fast world and new technology exceeds cultural adaptation.

In the context that is sensitive to Ethics, similar solution is applicable for dealing with any unprecedented challenges of making and inventing knowledge and techniques, that is to say to opt for bringing diverse views closer by educating players who would fill up the knowledge gaps that exist between diverse specialised groups. These connecting players need to know the language or the jargon of a person or group unfairly treated while having sufficient information about bases of analysis of other stakeholders with overlapping interests or adversities.

The role that connecting people play is to translate in good judgement, all the intention or perhaps prejudice that lie behind each and every problematic case or collective misuse, in a way that traditional players to highly advanced scientists make sense of other point of views in order to comply with self-imposed rules and regulations.

This process is strengthened with well placed execution at work where regulatory bodies embrace consistent meanings that are approved by entities in the society of high moral excellence.