Ethical Guidebook

A discussion of the difference between our personal values and our public ethics, how mature citizens can support both, and why our love for public ethics must trump our love for personal and group values when they conflict in the public space. Ethics offers a guidebook for evaluating public issues and finding multilateral solutions to endless cycles of values centric conflicts and unilateral violence.

Monday, April 28, 2008

The Mature Citizen

Religion and spirituality are very important to our human needs and group values. They form strong sets of born or chosen value systems with internally and hierarchially administered rules within that value set that provide a framework for personal decisions.

Science provides the underpinning of the ethics behind the enlightenment through arbitration of differences in values and perceptions based on due process and documentation of facts as best can be achieved at the time.

The two address two very different and fundamentally important human needs for both values - our love for the home team, and ethics - our love of fair play beyond the scope of the home team.

Mature citizens have no problem supporting both their home team values and fair play even when they conflict, by letting their love of public ethics trump their love of personal and group values when making public decisions.