Ethics
Ethics as a motivator of behavior must originate either from within or without.
An external motivator of behavior determines a person's behavior regardless of what the person may want. This motivation is different from a person's reflexes or reactions or learned behavior all of which may occur without consciousness. Rather, this is a conception of a person as a puppet which behaves in the way it does in response to the puppet master's manipulations, regardless of whether or what the puppet itself may consciously or unconsciously want. A puppet may pick up an apple and eat it, but its actions are determined not by the puppet's wants, but by the puppet master's manipulations. The puppet may explain its behavior by saying that it was hungry, but explanation is merely a justification or description of its behavior that agrees with the puppet master's manipulations. The same puppet may refrain from eating the apple by saying that it did not want to spoil its dinner. But that is still only a justification of the puppet master's manipulations. From this perspective, an ethics of puppets is meaningless.
Moral or ethical behavior requires consciousness or awareness of one's behaviors or actions and their consequences.
"Do unto others as you would have others do unto you," requires that one is aware of others, that one is aware of one's actions toward those others, and that one is aware of the consequences of those actions upon those others.
On can only consciously justify breaking this rule if one lacks compassion or altruism which means a lack of understanding or awareness of one's own feelings or sensations.
An external motivator of behavior determines a person's behavior regardless of what the person may want. This motivation is different from a person's reflexes or reactions or learned behavior all of which may occur without consciousness. Rather, this is a conception of a person as a puppet which behaves in the way it does in response to the puppet master's manipulations, regardless of whether or what the puppet itself may consciously or unconsciously want. A puppet may pick up an apple and eat it, but its actions are determined not by the puppet's wants, but by the puppet master's manipulations. The puppet may explain its behavior by saying that it was hungry, but explanation is merely a justification or description of its behavior that agrees with the puppet master's manipulations. The same puppet may refrain from eating the apple by saying that it did not want to spoil its dinner. But that is still only a justification of the puppet master's manipulations. From this perspective, an ethics of puppets is meaningless.
Moral or ethical behavior requires consciousness or awareness of one's behaviors or actions and their consequences.
"Do unto others as you would have others do unto you," requires that one is aware of others, that one is aware of one's actions toward those others, and that one is aware of the consequences of those actions upon those others.
On can only consciously justify breaking this rule if one lacks compassion or altruism which means a lack of understanding or awareness of one's own feelings or sensations.
posted by Godel at 4:11 PM
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