Introduction, Objectives, and Accountabilities

Introduction

       For many years now I have worried over the problems of good and evil and how they interact with the twisting and turning tangle of human lives we exist within. Many matters have appeared to be quite simple, but have proven impossible for me to pin down over the years. Many of these deceptively simple questions have eluded the greatest thinkers for millennia. I have searched within religion for the answers I crave, seeking the counsel of such men as Christ, Muhammad, Buddha, and others. Although I found kernels of truth within each new religion I studied, I found that the truth was overwhelmed by the dogma of the followers in almost all cases. More importantly, the truths I found were merely fragments of what I sought, and were far from enough to piece together the puzzle I saw before me.

       Eventually I turned to atheism, and have been troubled by the void left in my ethical foundations where a reliance upon revelation once lay . I looked to philosophy, and have again, found some kernels of truth here and there, but never enough to complete the puzzle. Philosophy has, however, given me the tools I need to examine the problem properly. I have no hopes of comparing to the great thinkers, but dare to disagree with them when I see good reason.

       I have begun a journey of ethical examination from an entirely rational standpoint, using all I have learned about logic, critical thinking, problem solving, and the practical nature of life. I need this blog because I need you, dear reader, to spot the errors in my reason, to remedy my ignorance of past debates, to chastise me when I stray from where a rational line of thought should lead me. Thank you all in advance for your honest and critical appraisals of my thoughts.

Objectives:

• To define a system of ethics using the fewest and most broadly applicable assumptions possible.  That is, to create a framework of theorems, which is usable to determine what should or should not be done in certain circumstances, and which relies on the fewest and most secure axioms available.
• To apply this constructed system of ethics to general moral cases to determine a group of moral rules which hold in common circumstances and can act as an ethical guide in our lives.

Accountabilities: The Standards of my Work

1) Rational

• The system must conform to the commonly held rules of logic.
• The system must be internally consistent.
• The conclusions must follow naturally from the premises.
• The axioms must be applicable in most situations, and the conditions and limitations of applicability must be noted and acknowledged, not as a flaw in the ethical system, but as potential situations which diverge from a standard treatment.

2) Useful

• The theorems must be usable to create other theorems or moral rules.
• The moral rules must be practical and applicable.
• The moral rules must clarify morally ambiguous issues, prevent potential inethicality, or convey useful ethical information in some way.

Final Words

       This post should be viewed, as should all subsequent posts, as more of a statement of intent than as a finished product. I would love to hear your thoughts and feelings concerning my writing, and if I hear a compelling enough argument I will take a step back, re-evaluate my positions, and perhaps rewrite an earlier post to reflect the new information I have been given. For that reason I hope that this work can be a collaborative work, with me suggesting ideas and playing at being an editor. Thanks for reading, and I hope to hear from you soon.