Views on ethics
“Killing is wrong.”
“Lying is wrong.”
“Abortion is wrong.”
“Taking drugs is wrong.”
Four discretionary moral quotes from the top of my head. What is the reasoning behind them (if any)? Are they objective statements or a personal view? Do they require a context or do they hold for all interpretations? I’m not going to give a lecture on the puzzle of ethics, go read a book for that. I’m writing about how I would tackle ethics and my reasoning behind it (the casual reader might learn a little as a bonus).
I think the best way to start is to spit out the obvious need for some sort of morality. Humans want to live in a fashion that imposes roadblocks on human behaviour (discounting those with the worst mental disorders). In other words, you want to walk home from work without getting stabbed before you reach the door (something too much to wish for where I live), you want to buy cake without the baker not giving back any change and lacing the pastry with cyanide. Likewise, most humans have a strong preference for certain behaviours. For example, calling an ambulance if you see someone unconscious on the street. These roadblocks are commonly known in various forms: a legal system, social convention, The Bro Code, etc.
“Lying is wrong.”
“Abortion is wrong.”
“Taking drugs is wrong.”
Four discretionary moral quotes from the top of my head. What is the reasoning behind them (if any)? Are they objective statements or a personal view? Do they require a context or do they hold for all interpretations? I’m not going to give a lecture on the puzzle of ethics, go read a book for that. I’m writing about how I would tackle ethics and my reasoning behind it (the casual reader might learn a little as a bonus).
I think the best way to start is to spit out the obvious need for some sort of morality. Humans want to live in a fashion that imposes roadblocks on human behaviour (discounting those with the worst mental disorders). In other words, you want to walk home from work without getting stabbed before you reach the door (something too much to wish for where I live), you want to buy cake without the baker not giving back any change and lacing the pastry with cyanide. Likewise, most humans have a strong preference for certain behaviours. For example, calling an ambulance if you see someone unconscious on the street. These roadblocks are commonly known in various forms: a legal system, social convention, The Bro Code, etc.
