Philosophy, ethics.  ---  .This section is about various other thoughts on ethics.  Topics include: ( ) Abuse and negligence.  ( ) Actions.  ( ) Animal rights.  ( ) Asceticism.  Voluntary simplicity.  ( ) Ecology and ethics.  ( ) Economics and ethics.  ( ) Evolutionary ethics.  ( ) Forgiveness.  ( ) Goals.  ( ) Information and ethics.  ( ) Judging.  ( ) People.  ( ) Related subjects.  ( ) Relativism and ethics.  ( ) Rights.  Human rights.  Animal rights.  ( ) Rules.  ( ) Stand.  ( ) Superogatory.  ( ) Temptation.  ( ) Time and ethics.  Future generations.  ( ) What is ethics.  ( ) Why think about ethics.  ---  1/24/2006

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  "I do not ask any questions.  I did not see anything.  I looked the other way.", so says the moll, as well as the average citizen.  This is an unethical attitude.  It is our duty to know (everything).  This is the journalists creed.  Therefore it is our duty to think (about everything) and record.  Therefore, the Notes are something we are obligated as humans to do.  ---  2/28/1998

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  "I don't know, and I don't care.", is a paean to ignorance and lack of empathy.  ---  10/23/2005

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  "Its not all about me."  People often come to this realization after they have kids.  Sometimes they realize it when they hear the "Hill o' beans" speech in the movie "Casablanca".  ---  4/4/2001

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  "Lets Make a Deal" ethics.  Life as a game of (1) Pure skill, (2) Mix of skill and chance, or (3) Pure chance.  With outcomes of any type if you win, such as money, stuff, and experiences.  And outcomes of any type if you lose, such as loss of money, physical suffering, etc.  How much of life is like this?  How much of life is a game?  How much of ethics is a game?  In most cases in life you don't know the outcome for sure.  ---  5/5/1999

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  "You owe me".  This phrase can be about reciprocity.  This phrase can also be about duty, obligation, responsibility.  In what cases is reciprocity required and not required?  In what cases is responsibility taken on by choice, and in what cases is responsibility cast upon us by circumstances (if ever)?  Reciprocity is based on promise or contract, verbal or implied.  The opposite of "take an eye for an eye" is "give a favor for a favor".  ---  9/10/1998

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  (1) All is forgiven vs. getting justice.  Latter is better.  (2) No free will vs. free will.  Latter is better.  ---  9/30/1996

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  (1) Big debates over what are the worst problems, their causes, and best solutions.  (2) Big debates over what are best ends and best means.  ---  06/01/1994

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  (1) Broad definition.  The word "ethical" can be used to mean "pertaining to ethics".  (2) Narrower definition.  The word "ethical" can also be used to mean "ethically good".  ---  6/8/2004

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  (1) Does knowledge of the latest and greatest meta-ethical theories make one a better person?  Do the ethicists lead better lives and do more good than the rest of the population?  (2) Being smarter does not necessarily make you a better person.  Being smart may help, but its no guarantee.  (3) I would rather be good than true, if forced to choose between them.  That is to say, better to be stupid and good than smart and evil.  This is how Truth stacks up against Goodness.  In real life, however, truth is often a means to goodness.  ---  3/8/2001

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  (1) Ethics as choice analysis.  Explore alternatives.  (2) Ethics as the assessment of the effects of actions.  (3) There is ethics to be done before and after any action  ---  3/25/2006

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  (1) Ethics of an individual alone.  The individual alone is faced with a complex ethical situation.  Many choices.  Many unknowns.  (2) Ethics of an individual in a social situation.  Alliances.  Opposition.  Social situations are even more complex, in terms of ethics, than are situations of the individual alone.  ---  10/1/2005

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  (1) Ethics of every possible action.  (2) Ethics of every possible state of mind (ex. Repress the mind, direct the mind, or leave the mind free to wander).  ---  09/15/1993

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  (1) Genetically engineering better bodies and better minds.  (2) Better child raising methods and teaching methods.  Faster, more logical, more loving, more complete, more healthy, and more ethical.  ---  12/30/1992

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  (1) How much shit to take, and from who?  Some take none from anyone.  Some take a lot from everyone.  (2) How much shit to give?  Some give none to anyone.  Some give a lot to everyone.  ---  12/30/1992

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  (1) If one person tries harder than another person.  Ethics based on how hard you try, not how much you accomplish.  Ethics based on effort.  How many hours you work.  (2) Ethics based on results and accomplishments.  If one person has more of a head start in terms of intelligence or money then they accomplish more than another person.  (3) You need both types of ethics to be fair.  ---  4/20/2006

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  (1) Many people in the world today, and even more people throughout history, would kill to have the advantages, opportunities, freedom and powers that I have today.  (2) The opportunity to learn for free through the Internet.  The opportunity to utilize peace time, and to not have to fight in a war and get killed.  The opportunity to utilize good health.  The opportunity to have an effect and make a difference is much greater today.  The Internet allows each individual to reach many other individuals.  The opportunity to manage information with computers.  The opportunity to communicate with others via the Internet, phone, etc.  (3) Most people would use these opportunities to make a change in the world.  Most people would not use these opportunities to simply laze around.  With opportunity comes responsibility.  (4) That some did not have these opportunities is a natural injustice.  But that I have these opportunities and don't use them fully is an injustice committed by me.  (5) How do I compare to three realms in terms of the opportunities available?  (A) All the people alive now.  (B) All the people who have ever lived.  (C) All the people who will ever live.  All the people who could ever live, assuming we don't blow up the world.  ---  11/8/1999

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  (1) Objective ethics: good and bad exist outside our minds.  (2) Subjective ethics: (A) Good and evil are human creations.  Good and evil exist only in the minds of individual humans and the societies they create.  We can extend this definition to higher animals and conscious robots.  (B) What is good and bad depends on how you look at it.  Rational-Emotive psychotherapy is an example of how the way we look at and think about things can shape our emotions and actions.  What we think is good and bad depends on how we are viewing the situation.  (3) Relative ethics and situational ethics.  Depends on the person in the situation.  Depends on the situational environment.  Depends on your needs, values and goals.  People from one situation (context, environment or world) often view and judge other people in other situations by using values and standards that only apply to their own world.  ---  4/28/2001

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  (1) One can have everything and still be miserable.  (ex. Some people with biochemical depression).  (2) One can have nothing and still be happy (ex. Some poor people).  ---  1/8/2003

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  (1) One of the first rules of ethics, or life, is do not let anyone, or anything (ex. morons, nuts, jerks, snobs, bigots, chick rejection, etc.), beat on you with words or actions, or get you down or depressed with their attitudes.  This means not letting nature, others, or yourself do harm to you.  The principle is protecting yourself from harm.  (2) Do not let nature or life get you down either.  Accidents, twists of fate, bad luck, the cruel world.  Do not let them harm your attitude or mind.  (3) Many types of harm exist.  Psychological harm is easily inflicted and can do much harm.  It can result in long term bum-outs, and mental chains or mental slavery, especially if you are vulnerable to it or have no defenses or protection.  (4) It is okay to feel sad, but not for forever.  Get angry and start fighting.  Stand up for what you believe in.  Make a difference.  ---  03/20/1997

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  (1) Root for the underdog.  (2) Stick up for the defenseless (nature, children).  ---  3/30/1998

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  (1) The person you have the potential (or ability) to help (or affect) the most is yourself.  This is due to (A) The amount of time spent with self is so much.  (B) The power to change self.  (2) Helping someone means persuading them to add to, delete from, or change, their views or attitudes.  Mental help is the most effective.  ---  11/15/1994

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  (1) Those who are, and are not, playing by the rules.  (2) Those who know it, and those who do not know it.  (3) Those who do it by their own will or against their own will.  (4) Talking about the system vs. true ethics.  ---  11/10/1993

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  (1) Those who live for themselves (egoism) vs. those who live for others (altruism).  Those who live for themselves exhibit not so much selfishness as small-mindedness.  On the other hand, those who live for others see themselves (the individual) as not enough to live for.  They feel a need to live for something greater than themselves.  (2) Those who live for things vs. those who live for ideas.  Those who live for things exhibit not so much greed as they do the inability to think abstractly.  The reason that they live for material things is because material things is all that they have.  And if you take away their fancy clothes, big cars, and mansions, they have very little.  ---  6/30/1999

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  (1) What can you really do in life?  What is there really to do?  (2) What can you really learn in life?  What is there really to learn?  (3) For anyone, me, or society.  ---  12/30/1992

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  (1) What I respect.  I don't care what you do as long as you are great at it.  (2) The scale: (A) Destroyed.  (B) Hindered growth.  (C) Caused no harm.  (D) Did some practical good.  (E) Made an original contribution.  Moved things forward theoretically, practically, or politically.  ---  06/10/1994

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  (1) What will endure?  What will fade?  What will continue to be useful.  What is very important, but only for a moment, as a step.  (2) What is quality?  What is excellence?  What is garbage, junk, and useless?  What is poison, harmful, and hurtful?  ---  12/30/1995

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  (1) Where we are?  (2) Where we are headed given our current course of action?  (3) Where we should be going?  ---  06/10/1997

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  (1) Why are we here?  (A) Life is not meant primarily to be enjoyed, as a vacation, like in hedonism.  (B) Nor is it meant to be gotten on with, endured, or merely survived.  (C) It is meant to be used well.  Survival and recreation are secondary to, or a means to, effort.  (2) What not to do.  (A) Get sucked into a system, like a drone.  (B) Wake up and find you have not lived, experienced, and thought, rather you obeyed and slaved.  (C) To be an unthinking drone, or doing what others say (clone), or only doing what you have to do to survive.  (3) What to do.  (A) Keep up on the learn and do.  Keep up on state of the art knowledge, techniques, and values.  (B) Add or contribute to new improved knowledge, action, and values.  ---  05/25/1994

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  (1)(A) Obligation: must do (law).  (B) Prohibition: must not do (law).  (2)(A) Duty: should do (non-law).  (B) Discourage: should not do (non-law).  ---  1/8/2003

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  (1)(A) Who is sincere, bonafide, original, authentic, honest, open, giving, sharing.  (B) Who is silent, lying, hiding.  (2)(A) Who is taking a stand, and has an opinion.  (B) Who is along for the ride, blowing with the wind, going with the flow.  ---  04/30/1993

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  A big part of ethics is knowing how to spot (recognize) assholes and protect yourself and others against assholes, nuts, and morons.  Also, the bully, con-man, liar, thief, swindler, and cheat.  At work: sleazy boss and co-workers.  In love: the bad relationship with messed up partner.  In business: getting screwed in transactions.  On the street: everyday jerks.  Standing up for yourself and others.  Fighting for yourself and others.  ---  03/08/1997

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  A common tactic of unethical people is to argue for nihilism in order to justify doing whatever they want.  For example:  (1) The attack on ethics.  Can't tell right from wrong.  There is no right or wrong.  (2) The attack on meaning.  Can't tell the meaning of communication.  There is no meaning in communication.  (3) The attack on epistemology.  Cannot tell what is true or false.  There is no true or false.  (4) Nihilism is not a tenable position.  Nihilism does not justify injustice.  ---  12/11/2005

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  A set of assumptions one can work with.  (1) We have the capability to save or destroy ourselves as individuals and other people.  (2) Ourselves and others are teetering on the edge of destruction.  (3) It is not obvious how to save ourselves and others.  It takes years of study, practice and effort to learn how to save ourselves and others.  It is easy to destroy ourself and others, it takes no special knowledge.  ---  12/26/1997

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  A spectrum of activities from good to bad.  When trying to figure out what to do, try to do the best things first (things on this list).  (1) Growth.  (A) Creativity as "figuring out" or active thinking.  Creativity in philosophy, or to lesser extent, the arts.  (B) Searching and learning as "finding out" stuff.  (C) Study of things previously figured and found out.  Rereading.  (2) Maintenance (still productive).  (A) Organizing and editing notes.  (B) Typing up notes.  (3) Non-productive.  Wasting time.  Watching TV.  Doing nothing (inactive "minding"), veging.  (4) Decay.  Counter-productive.  Ruining your life.  ---  07/02/1997

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  A true nobleman, or great man, understands and feels completely and constantly the real reason why he should work full blast and full time toward his goals (ex. study and write).  The reason is because he has the ability and talent, and few others do.  And his work (1) Produces good results, and (2) Develops his skill further.  Anything that reduces or delays this work is unethical.  ---  04/23/1994

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  Abuse types: psychological, physical, verbal, monetary, and property abuse.  ---  12/30/1992

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  Abuse.  (1) Abuse: doing a bad thing.  Bad things are done to us by nature, by others, and by ourselves.  If we don't fight to protect ourselves, this is bad.  (2) Neglect: not doing a good thing.  Things are withheld from us by nature, by others, and by ourselves.  If we don't fight to get these things, this is bad.  ---  12/30/1992

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  Abuse.  Damage.  Ways to damage, as done by self, by others, and by nature.  Types of damage done.  (1) Reversible vs. permanent.  (2) Replaceable vs. irreplaceable.  (3) Psychological, physical, economic/financial, and social.  ---  12/30/1992

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  Abuse.  Neglect.  (1) Emotional neglect: not giving someone love.  Ex. absent parents.  (2) Material neglect: not giving someone good books.  ---  12/30/1992

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  Abuses of power.  Clandestine abuses vs. public abuses.  Blatant public abuses can be caused by (1) Wanting the attention of the public to get a message out.  (2) Wanting recognition as a great and famous criminal.  (3) Wanting attention and love?  ---  12/20/1998

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  Actions.  .This section is about the various types of actions we can take.  ---  6/9/2004

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  Actions.  (1) By me: for me, for others, and for everyone.  (2) By others: for me, for themselves, for others, and for everyone.  ---  12/30/1992

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  Actions.  (1) Historical structure: oldest to newest.  (2) Logical structure: class and subclass.  (3) Ethical structure: best to worst.  (4) Importance structure: most to least important.  ---  12/30/1992

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  Actions.  (1) Promises, contracts.  (2) Betrayal, lies, secrets.  ---  12/30/1992

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  Actions.  (1) Requirements of an action.  Resources gained and lost.  (2) Effects of an action.  Resources gained and lost (time, energy, money, materials).  Costs and benefits.  Psychological effects.  Social effects.  Economic effects.  ---  12/30/1992

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  Actions.  (1) Saving a life vs. not.  (2) Reducing pain vs. increasing pleasure (same thing)?  (3) Nurturing, caring.  (4) Mind fu*ks.  (5) Stealing, cheating, injuring (temporarily or permanently), killing.  ---  12/30/1992

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  Actions.  Betrayal of confidence or trust.  Ratting, spying, interfering, lying, cheating, conning, stealing.  ---  12/30/1992

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  Actions.  Can you go through life without hurting anyone (including yourself), and without being hurt?  ---  12/30/1992

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  Actions.  Doing nothing.  Doing nothing is not an ethically neutral act.  Doing nothing can be good or bad depending on the situation.  ---  12/30/1992

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  Actions.  Ethics of any action or behavior.  When and where to do it, and not, and why.  ---  12/30/1992

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  Actions.  Four types of behavior possible.  (1) Pursue, search, inquire, explore.  (2) Face, confront, hold ground.  (3) Ignore, repress, don't face, avoidance, turn look away.  (4) Run away, withdraw, hide, retreat, quit.  ---  12/30/1992

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  Actions.  Four types: (1) To run away.  (2) To not look.  (3) To look.  (4) To search.  ---  12/30/1992

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  Actions.  Fu*king vs. getting fu*ked.  Kicking ass vs. getting ass kicked.  ---  12/30/1992

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  Actions.  Helping: how does the situation change (1) If someone asks for help.  (2) If someone asks not to be helped.  (3) If someone offers to help.  (4) If someone says they don't want to help.  ---  12/30/1992

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  Actions.  Hurting vs. helping.  ---  12/30/1992

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  Actions.  Laziness as conservation of resources vs. lack of striving.  ---  12/30/1992

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  Actions.  Obedience and conformity vs. rebellion.  ---  12/30/1992

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  Actions.  Opposition: actively opposing vs. passively blocking.  ---  12/30/1992

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  Actions.  Passivity vs. activity.  Assertive vs. aggressive.  ---  12/30/1992

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  Actions.  Reactions.  Too severe, over-reacting.  Not severe enough, under-reacting.  ---  12/30/1992

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  Actions.  Silence equals consent and/or agreement.  ---  12/30/1992

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  Actions.  Struggle: violent vs. non-violent.  ---  12/30/1992

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  Aesthetic decisions vs. ethical decisions.  No difference?  Does aesthetics boil down to ethics?  ---  12/30/1992

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  Age.  When you are very old, when you've wasted your whole life working, then you can not enjoy life anymore like you could have when you were young.  You are too full for dessert.  Your mind and body are shot.  It is all over.  Have dessert first, I say.  The four years from 24 - 27 for me were the only real years I lived.  After the tyranny of childhood, the big mistake of going to a lame college (repressed non-life, non-reality) (truly a step backward), and before the totalitarian world of work.  For four years I really lived, thought, read and wrote the way I wanted to.  Life, dessert, was sweet.  ---  06/20/1994

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  Age.  When you are young you want (and should get) adventure, exploration, romance, love and sex.  When you age, your values and priorities change (and should?).  Ethics change with age.  ---  08/22/1993

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  All ethical issues connected with a thing.  All ethical views associated with these issues.  ---  12/30/1992

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  Ammunition, shields, and Achilles tendons.  ---  5/30/1993

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  An adult human is responsible for his or her own ethical development.  You have to do the philosophy.  Philosophy is not only a college course.  Everyone is a philosopher.  Do the philosophy.  Start writing.  It is not obvious, automatic, or easy.  ---  7/15/2006

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  Animal ethics.  (1) We do not torture humans.  We say humans have rights.  (2) We do not torture animals.  Can we say animals have rights?  ---  4/7/1998

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  Animal rights: we don't torture animals.  ---  12/30/1992

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  Animal rights.  Animals, especially higher animals like chordates (fish, birds, mammals), have brains, have minds, feel physical pain, feel emotions, can think, and thus deserve to live without imprisonment, torture and murder, and thus deserve animal rights.  ---  6/9/2004

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  Animal rights.  Humans, as a species, don't exist in an ethical vacuum.  Other species exist.  Other species have rights.  ---  6/7/2004

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  Anyone will do anything to anyone.  ---  5/30/1993

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  Anything done wrong, or less than 100%, causes regret, regret, regret, which is the worst feeling of them all.  ---  12/30/1995

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  Anything that does not help the self (type, degree, amount), hurts the self?  ---  12/30/1992

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  Arbitrary laws like the age of sexual consent, drinking age, voting age and driving age.  These arbitrary laws are different in every state.  Not like murder which is illegal in all states.  Really these arbitrary laws should be decided on case-by-case basis, taking into account each individual person's level of maturity to decide when the individual can be allowed to take part in "adult" activities.  But decided by who?  The individual in question?  Parents?  A jury?  ---  5/15/1998

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  Are all difficult things "not fun"?  No, climbing is difficult but fun.  Are all easy things fun?  No, they can be no challenge.  ---  12/30/1992

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  Asceticism (of materials, of experiences, etc.).  Systematically denying your desires can impede your development.  The key is to choose wisely.  Unhealthy asceticism is repression and poverty.  Healthy asceticism is focus.  ---  12/30/1992

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  Asceticism.  How much stuff is too little?  How much is too much?  Excess vs. lack.  Simplicity vs. complexity.  Pack rats vs. throwing out something you wish you had not thrown out because it was useful and irreplaceable.  ---  01/03/1994

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  Asceticism.  Voluntary simplicity (of stuff).  Not being materialistic.  Thoreau: simplify.  ---  6/30/1998

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  At what point do we say, "This person should have never lived"?  How much good vs. how much evil?  Three views.  (1) Anything better than 50/50?  No, because you use resources (air, food, money, etc.) that are a cost (bad), and need to be figured into the equation.  (2) Do you consider how much good and evil the individual has done relative to all other humans living at the same time.  Anyone better than average should have lived.  (3) Committing a major bad act, like murder, definitively decides one should not live, for those people who believe in the death penalty.  ---  4/15/1998

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  Base pleasures like eating, f*cking and sleeping.  Versus.  Higher pleasures.  ---  10/23/2005

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  Bravery.  See: Psychology, emotion, specific, bravery cowardice.  ---  12/30/2000

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  Can one live without hurting self or others?  Can one help self or others?  ---  12/30/1992

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  Care.  See: Psychology, personality, traits, care.  ---  12/30/2000

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  Change of views.  Faced with the same situation, your view of it can change.  Example, you can see life as trite, banal, and hum drum, or as a precious chance and great opportunity.  Thus changes in ethical views cause changes in metaphysical views just as much as changes in metaphysical views cause changes in ethical views.  ---  05/20/1994

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  Changing what is vs. changing your views on what is.  ---  12/30/1992

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  Choosing.  (1) Some people choose by doing whatever seems most fun.  That depends on what one considers to be fun.  (2) Some people do what they consider to be good.  (3) Those who cannot decide, do nothing.  (4) Those who think that doing nothing is fun or good, do nothing.  ---  10/23/2005

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  Choosing.  Bad strategies for choosing.  (1) Some people do what everyone else is doing.  (2) Some people do what others tell them to do.  (3) Some people rely on random chance.  (4) Some people do not give it much thought.  ---  10/23/2005

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  Choosing.  Ethics is about choice.  Ethics is about choosing.  Choosing is a form of decision making.  One part of choosing involves becoming aware of all the possible alternatives one can choose from.  Another part of choosing is having some type of decision making procedure.  One type of decision making procedure is to flip a coin.  Flipping a coin is an arbitrary decision making procedure.  Another type of decision making procedure is to weigh the pros and cons of each choice.  ---  10/20/2005

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  Choosing.  In a hypothetical world where there are only two actions possible, decision making is simplified.  As the number of possible actions increases, decision making becomes more complex.  ---  10/20/2005

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  Choosing.  Some choices:  The decision to smoke or not.  The decision to exercise or not.  The decision to be politically active or not.  The decision to educate oneself or not.  The decision of how to make a living.  The decision of what to do in free time.  The decision of who to sleep with.  The decision of whether to think, write and publish.  The decision of how much television to watch.  The decision of whether to have kids or not.  ---  10/23/2005

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  Common real-politik ethical principles:  (1) Be nice to people on the way up because you will see them on the way down.  (2) What goes around comes around.  (3) You get what you give.  ---  4/28/2001

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  Concept of being "most fair" to self.  What do you give up by living an ethical life?  Power, sensual pleasure, etc.?  What do you get by living an ethical life?  More pain?  ---  12/30/1992

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  Contractual ethics.  "We had a deal.  You promised.  You gave your word."  These are phrases often used in a subject known as the ethics of contract.  A contract is a conditional that says, "If you do x then I will do y."  However, there are many implicit assumptions to any contract that can nullify the contract.  ---  7/20/2005

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  Contractual ethics.  Promising.  Is promising only an action between people?  Does it make sense to talk about making a promise to yourself?  ---  8/29/2005

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  Criteria for action.  (1) My criteria for action used to be: Is it fun?  Does it feel good?  Is it a rush, thrill, or kick?  Is it new?  (2) My criteria for action now is: What will it accomplish?  Is it a waste of time?  ---  6/19/1999

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  Dessert.  I believe in the "dessert first" philosophy of life.  ---  06/20/1994

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  Diet analogy of ethics.  Can we make up for a bad with a good?  Like when we are on a diet and skip lunch to make up for a big breakfast?  There are various views on this question.  (1) No, we can not make up for the bad.  The bad always remains.  (2) Yes, we can make up for bad.  The bad is not rubbed out, but we can balance the scale by counteracting a bad with a good.  (3) Yes, we can make up for bad.  We can wipe the bad out completely, like it never happened.  ---  4/14/1999

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  Difference between picking out most important ideas in a passage, and picking out most important ideas in a situation.  ---  07/30/1993

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  Doesn't even pay to look at the shit around you.  Live in a world of ideas and ideals.  ---  04/30/1993

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  Doing what I like, enjoy, desire, want, versus, doing what I think I ought to.  These days I spend my time doing what I think I ought to.  Which basically amounts to giving up the pursuit of money in order to pursue progressive activism.  Which basically amounts to giving up ease to pursue difficulty.  Which seems counter-intuitive on the surface, but is worth doing when you mull it over.  ---  12/21/2006

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  Ecology and ethics.  Any attempt at ethics must take into account the entire system, i.e., the ecosystem.  Many people think ethics is a matter of actions between people, but just as important is the ethics of actions by humans on the environment.  ---  8/29/2005

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  Ecology and ethics.  For too long people have thought that ethics is mainly about means and ends.  People have focused on goals and tactics.  However, it is just as important to consider resources and by-products.  This is a more holistic, more ecological, approach to ethics.  It involves giving attention to raw materials, waste-products, and side-effects.  ---  7/14/2001

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  Economics and ethics.  Cost and benefit analysis.  Monetary results of actions.  Opportunity costs.  ---  11/15/1994

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  Economics and ethics.  Ethics of capitalism.  Competition.  Beat the other guy.  Make him lose.  This applies in the world of limited physical stuff.  But in the world of intangibles, the world of information (and emotion), the world of unlimited ideas, where there is enough for all, there is no reason to keep others down.  We can all grow, improve and win.  A society like ours wrongly sees the competitive way as the only way, or as the best way for all situations.  I am tired of always trying to crush others when I could just as well be giving them a hand.  Greed is not always good.  ---  1/23/1999

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  Economics and ethics.  If nothing was scarce, then the existence of unethical acts, and the desire to commit them, would be reduced greatly.  ---  12/30/1992

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  Economics and ethics.  My rate of effort (expending resources) vs. my rate of production (quantity and quality produced).  How do they compare?  What's my efficiency (talent) level?  Is it worth it?  ---  12/30/1992

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  Economics and ethics.  Price, cost, and benefits.  (1) The price you pay for doing x action.  Economic price, psychological price, and physical price.  The opportunity price for what you chose not to do.  (2) Price you pay for mistakes.  Mistakes in ends (goals), and in means (tactics).  The price is loss and pain.  (3) Three definitions of price.  Price as economic cost only, quantitative.  Price as cost of any type, qualitative.  Price as consequences.  (4) Sometimes ethics is not a matter of good and bad but costs or price vs. benefits.  ---  12/30/1992

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  Economics and ethics.  Resources.  Every action has an initial cost, a return, and a profit or loss.  Every action consumes resources.  Resources include: time, money, materials, effort/energy/labor (both psychological and physical).  ---  12/30/1992

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  Economics and ethics.  Terms: Efficiency, effectiveness, productivity, quality, costs and benefits, equality, fairness.  ---  12/30/1992

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  Economics should not be the primary basis for morality.  We should not do anything and everything just to save a buck.  ---  12/5/1999

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  Effective vs. fair.  ---  12/30/1992

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  Effort.  How much effort to give?  How hard should we try?  We should give 100 percent effort.  Every spare minute.  Should we ever relax and enjoy?  Relax and enjoy while you are efforting.  Should we ever stop trying?  We should never stop trying.  ---  1/1/2007

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  Effort.  Maximum ethical effort is required.  Many people will try to convince you to relax, take it easy, slow down.  Continue applying maximum ethical effort.  Advertisers will try to convince you that other things are more important.  The opposition will try to convince you that your cause is lost.  Maximum ethical effort, in thought and action, toward the best goals you can formulate, is required.  ---  1/7/2007

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  Enjoy vs. appreciate.  (1) Enjoy.  Enjoy everything.  Enjoy the good in life.  See the good in everything.  (2) Appreciate.  Appreciate things fully.  Recognize and appreciate what you have.  Appreciate what others have.  Appreciate the good in life.  ---  1/8/2003

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  Environmental ethics or ecological ethics is very important.  Including, but not limited to, animal rights.  Plant species should also be included.  All biodiversity.  Non-living things too because living things depend on non-living things.  And also for the aesthetics of non-living things.  For example, there is only one Yosemite and we can't rebuild it if we destroy it.  ---  7/8/2002

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  Epistemology of ethics.  Ethical truth is what is objectively best or worst.  Ethical reasoning, proof, and argument.  Ethical belief or certitude.  ---  12/30/1992

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  Ethical plan: (1) What you believe.  (2) What you decide to do.  (3) What you actually do.  ---  12/30/1992

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  Ethical relativism.  Most people consider ethics to be relative in regard to the individual, society or situation.  However, there is also the ethics of one act relative to any other act.  Actions are ethical relative to other actions.  When a person has a choice of doing one of several actions, then the person judges each action relative to the other possible actions.  ---  8/15/2005

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  Ethical window of an individual.  How good you strive to be vs. how bad you let yourself be.  It creates an ethical window in which you act.  Having a wide or narrow ethical window.  Having an ethical window set high or low.  ---  05/30/1994

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  Ethics and creativity.  Is there an ethical difference between (1) a creator who is unavoidably compelled to create, perhaps even a obsessed with creating, and (2) a creator who enjoys creating, but not obsessed, and (3) a creator who dislikes creating but who creates because it is needed.  Can they all create an equally good product? Assuming they do create an equally good product, is any one of these creators ethically better than the others?  ---  1/9/2002

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  Ethics by areas or behavior types.  Sex, death, work, leisure, medicine, business, law, struggling, communication, science, etc.  Ethics by subject matter (see all 26 subject areas, and ethical issues in each).  ---  12/30/1992

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  Ethics by subject area.  (1) Social ethics.  (2) Political ethics: be politically aware and active.  (3) Sexual relationship ethics: picking a mate.  Deciding not to have kids.  Avoiding disease.  (4) Work ethics: Picking a job.  What you do matters.  (5) Leisure ethics: Don't waste leisure time.  (6) Information ethics: Thinking.  Learning.  Reason.  Ignorance is bad.  Curiosity is good.  Figure out and find out.  Superstition and fanaticism is bad.  (7) Psychological ethics:  (A) Attitudes.  How you look at things.  Search for better attitudes.  (B) Behaviors.  (C) Emotions.  Develop emotional intelligence.  ---  11/15/2005

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  Ethics is a bad, non-descriptive word.  A better word is choice theory.  Arguments for the choices we make.  ---  09/20/1993

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  Ethics is about resources, means (technology) and ends (goals).  ---  08/15/1994

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  Ethics of any "thing" in any situation.  ---  12/30/1992

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  Ethics of deciding what to do.  Ethics of decision making procedures.  ---  12/30/1992

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  Ethics of fun combined with the ethics of utility.  Some people put more value on things that are fun and useless over things that are useful but not fun.  Other people think it better to pursue the useful even if its not always fun.  However, perceptions of what is useful and what is fun vary widely.  In addition, people sometimes miscalculate what is useful and what is fun.  ---  6/22/2006

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  Ethics of information.  Become informed.  Gain knowledge.  Get smart.  Learn.  Become educated.  It is an ethical duty of every individual to reason, to inquire, to think critically.  You have a brain, use it.  Thus, the Notes is an ethical good because it represents reason in the quest for knowledge.  ---  10/17/2005

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  Ethics of mental life.  (1) Constant thinking, learning, questioning is good.  (2) An inactive mental life is bad.  ---  4/18/2007

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  Ethics of mind vs. ethics of action.  Ethics is not so much about what you do.  Ethics is more about what you think about.  The ethics of thought precedes the ethics of action.  You cannot "do the right thing" till you figure out what the right thing is.  ---  10/22/2000

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  Ethics of mind.  To decide to think is an action.  Some misguided people deride the mental life as "doing nothing" but they are mistaken.  Mental actions can be just as powerful and effective as physical actions.  ---  6/8/2004

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  Ethics of resources, abilities, and opportunities.  (1) We should use all the resources that we have.  Not to do so is a waste.  We should get more resources in a sustainable manner (Resources: time, energy, money, materials, people, information).  (2) Make the most of your abilities.  (3) Seize opportunities.  Create opportunities.  (4) Resources, abilities, and opportunities.  These are three important words.  They are all that you have with which to work.  ---  12/31/1999

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  Ethics of society.  What kind of society do you want to live in?  People want to live in a just society.  What are some of the big issues in the ethics of society?  Health care.  Education.  Some people refer to the ethics of society by using the name "political philosophy".  ---  3/25/2007

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  Ethics of taking care of your body and mind.  (1) How you do it (efficiency of method).  What you do and don't do (pathological, veging).  (2) How much time you need to spend doing it.  ---  09/26/1993

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  Ethics views.  (1) Hedonism.  (A) Fun hog.  Party all the time.  Play.  Food, drink, sex, socializing, smokes.  Active version: dance, sports.  Sedate version: sleep, lazy, apathy.  (B) Finer things in life.  Connesieur.  Expensive cars, clothes, wines.  Collectors.  Enjoy life.  (2) Work all the time.  Work ethic.  (A) Make money.  To be rich.  To raise kids.  (B) Climb the corporate ladder.  Gain power and position.  (C) Work for a cause.  To change the world.  (3) Some mix of 1 and (2)  50/50 or otherwise.  ---  6/4/2004

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  Even a perfectly ethical act will not please everyone.  ---  12/30/1992

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  Everyday dispute resolution.  (1) When you take corrective action toward someone you can do it based on: (A) You do not want them to do an act toward me again.  (B) You do not want them to do an act toward someone else.  (C) Want to enlighten them or inform them, and thus do them a favor.  (2) The procedure is to: (A) State your objection.  (B) State your reason for the objection.  (C) State the course of action you will pursue if they fail to change their action.  ---  10/4/2000

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  Evolutionary ethics.  Any attempt at ethics must take into account human evolution, and the development of human behavior in animal social behaviors such as reciprocity and altruism.  ---  8/29/2005

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  Evolutionary ethics.  One of the best way to think about ethics is from an evolutionary perspective.  How did ethics evolve?  What evidence of the precursors of ethical thinking is there in non-human animals?  Animals have feelings of empathy.  Animals cooperate with each other.  ---  3/22/2007

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  Expansion of the notion of good.  (1) Good meaning good for an individual person.  (2) Good meaning good for all humans.  (3) Good meaning good for the ecosystem.  ---  1/16/2006

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  Expectations.  On what are expectations based?  How do they help us judge good from bad?  If you have no expectations for self, you don't get far.  ---  12/30/1992

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  Fashion analysis as a springboard to ethics.  We don't have to dress and live in poor, ugly, dirty surroundings.  Nor do we have to be slaves to mindless, idealess fashion changes.  Nor do we have to put up with strict, utilitarian, minimalist shit.  Nor do we have to have ostentatious, monetary excess of quantity or quality (top designers).     What is beautiful?  Is it modest, economical functionalism, or is it individualism (punk), or is it classicism (black tie), or is it intelligence?  ---  04/30/1993

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  Forgiveness (and forgetting) is an pathological psychology phenomenon.  How soon and how much do you forgive a person for doing how much and why?  ---  12/30/1992

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  Forgiveness strikes me as a patriarchal attitude.  To pardon someone is to pretend to act like a king or a president.  We should not raise ourselves to such lofty heights in our relationships with each other.  ---  6/29/2001

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  Forgiveness vs. retribution.  How do you ethically evaluate someone who has been unethical but says they have changed?  What is the change that actually has to take place in their head for them to be considered good?  Do they have to commit an act of equal type and magnitude that is good rather than bad?  Do they have to be punished first?  ---  12/30/1992

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  Forgiveness.  (1) The psychology of forgiveness vs. the sociology of forgiveness.  (2) Asking forgiveness vs. giving forgiveness.  (3) Apologizing (saying you are sorry) vs. accepting an apology.  Today there is a prevalent attitude that says "Never apologize", which may be a healthy or unhealthy attitude.  (4) There is a phenomena of public apologies in which an apology is no good unless it is done publicly.  ---  4/28/2001

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  Forgiveness.  Do we forgive other people (1) Only if they say they are sorry and apologize?  (2) Only if they act like they mean it?  If they express remorse?  (3) Or do we forgive others even if they do neither of the above?  ---  6/28/2001

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  Forgiveness.  Expressing your forgiveness to the other person.  The other person perceiving your forgiveness.  Ways how both are done.  ---  12/30/1992

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  Forgiveness.  Never forgive and never forget.  ---  12/30/1992

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  Forgiveness.  Nothing can be undone.  What makes up for what?  Can anything makeup for anything?  Do we forgive only when someone asks for forgiveness?  What do people mean when they talk about forgiving?  What goes on in the mind of the forgive-er and forgive-ee ?  ---  9/11/1998

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  Forgiveness.  People always want a second chance.  ---  12/30/1992

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  Forgiveness.  Redemption.  It is impossible to "make up" for something fully.  Anything done is done, and it can't be undone.  Something is always lost, even if it is just time.  However some acts are more able to be "set aright" than others.  ---  12/30/1992

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  Forgiveness.  Talking yourself into forgiving vs. actually feeling forgiveness for the person naturally.  ---  12/30/1992

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  Forgiveness.  There is a common notion today that says, "Never apologize and never say you are sorry."  Maybe there should be a similar notion that says, "Never forgive and never forget."  This is because there is a common psychopathology of excessive apology and there is also a similar common psychopathology of excessive forgiveness.  ---  6/29/2001

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  Forgiveness.  Various religious and philosophical views about forgiveness.  List them.  ---  12/30/1992

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  Forgiveness.  What is forgiveness?  Does forgiveness mean any of the following?  (1) What you did was not wrong?  It was.  (2) You are not responsible?  You are.  (3) It does not bother me that you did it?  It does.  (4) I do not think you will do it again?  I do.  (5) We are still friends?  We are not.  (6) There will be no punishment?  There will.  (7) It does not matter?  It does.  (8) I will forget about it?  I won't.  ---  6/29/2001

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  Fortifying yourself.  Security, love, and purpose.  Without a decent job, a decent lover, and without a decent purpose to pursue, life will be too tough (with no money, no love, and no purpose), and you will not feel life is worth the struggle.  ---  11/16/1997

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  Four cases.  (1) Boring and important.  (2) Boring and unimportant.  (3) Exciting and important.  (4) Exciting and unimportant.  ---  12/30/1992

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  Four levels.  (1) Loafers.  (2) Cultural entertainment (art, movies, etc.).  (3) Job and school oriented intellectuals (get the degree and get the money).  (4) Pure intellectualism (not for money and not for fame).  1 is the worst, 4 is the best.  I am 4.  ---  09/27/1993

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  Get your head together.  Think of best attitudes toward subjects, objects, and situations, etc.  How to run head?  What to believe?  Ethics of thought.  Ethics of action.  ---  12/01/1993

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  Given your situation, what's the best/good/bad/worst things to do, and how, and why?  ---  12/30/1992

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  Goal: Intellectual development.  When the incomprehensible becomes obvious.  When the mindblowing becomes the routine.  When the new idea becomes the paltry cliche'.  ---  06/30/1993

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  Goal.  (1) Have every area of your life running calmly and smoothly.  (2) Avoid situations that tempt you.  Take care to avoid all avoidable trouble.  (3) Deal well with unavoidable troubles as they occur.  ---  12/15/1994

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  Goal.  Avoiding (1) Unhealthy distractions (internal and external).  Wanting to think or do something else.  (2) Laziness.  Wanting to do nothing.  (3) Momentary ethical ignorance.  Not knowing to do something.  (4) Avoiding all three in order to think hard (100%), all of the time, is an ethical duty that I owe myself and the world.  ---  07/30/1993

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  Goal.  Best joy is to feel good about self and the life you are living.  Crisp fall days, and warm spring days.  ---  11/30/1996

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  Goal.  Can we get everyone fed, dry, warm, healthy, optimally sane, educated, with free time, that is, happy?  ---  06/30/1993

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  Goal.  Don't let life beat you down, bring you down, or destroy you.  Trivial, mediocre, practical vs. excellent, ideal, important, theoretical.  ---  05/30/1993

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  Goal.  Ethical imperatives.  Help yourself.  Learn, think, and figure it all out for yourself.  ---  12/30/1992

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  Goal.  Ethical obligations.  (1) Get and stay healthy (physically and psychologically and financially).  Don't put that health at risk needlessly.  (2) Be productive.  Do something.  Also, say something, think something, feel something, and experience something.  Do not waste time.  Do not waste life.  Do work.  ---  03/08/1997

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  Goal.  How good does it get?  Reading and creating great ideas, in a positive frame of mind, in a great environment, with women and money aplenty.  Great environment = warm, sunny, low humidity, green, safe, quiet, uncrowded.  ---  07/30/1993

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  Goal.  How to live, what to do, depends on the situation your in.  How unique is your situation vs. how much is your situation like life on earth always is, depends on how abstract/concrete you want to be.  ---  12/30/1992

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  Goal.  Is it right to help people?  Yes.  How?  Get them to think about their lives, and think clearly.  ---  07/30/1996

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  Goal.  Living a long and fully productive life is an ethical imperative.  Combat diseases by watching diet, exercise, sleep, stress.  Combat injury by watching your step (in traffic, on ice, on rough ground) and driving safely.  Watch the wear and tear.  Watch back, knees, hip, ankles.  Don't exercise too much, overuse, or overtrain.  Don't abuse self.  Have a purpose.  Develop all your abilities to fullest potential.  Be joyful.  Have a support network.  ---  12/30/1995

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  Goal.  The big challenge in life.  (1) Not to get caught up in normal life and b.s., and yet, (2) Not to go off the deep end, or out of control, while on your own.  ---  11/27/1993

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  Goal.  The big goal is to save the world.  Heaven on earth.  Utopia, Nirvana.  We become divine, god-like.  End injustice, crime, poverty, disease, waste, and pollution.  ---  11/30/1997

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  Goal.  The big noble goal of humankind and each individual is ceaseless effort to discover and apply the knowledge that will make this world better.  The big mistake is to forget this, to ignore, avoid, or turn away from it, or to be distracted by something else like daily survival or trivial unproductive pleasures.  It is also a big mistake to say "I can not do it", or "It does not matter if I or anyone else does or does not do it".  ---  06/01/1994

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  Goal.  The way is not more and better stuff, or more money to get stuff.  The way is more and better ideas, and more thinking to get ideas.  The way is not anti-stuff, or physical poverty.  The way is not anti-thinking, or mental poverty.  Develop a philosophy and an attitude.  ---  12/30/1995

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  Goals.  (1) Me.  Long, healthy, and productive life, with no bad things.  (2) The world.  Save the environment.  End disease, hunger, poverty, and human rights abuses.  ---  10/30/1997

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  Goals.  An important part of ethics is the formation of ultimate goals.  What are your ultimate goals for yourself and for the world?  To do some action or achieve some final state.  ---  6/9/2000

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  Goals.  My future studies in philosophy.  Dilemma: (1) do you pick an area ripe for development, with easy pickings.  (2) Or do you pick an area that is trendy, even if it does not interest you.  (3) Or do you pick an area that interests you, even though the area seems mined out, hoping that your interest will yield a breakthrough?  ---  10/25/1994

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  Golden mean: no excess or lack.  The right mix or balance.  ---  12/30/1992

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  Good life.  Find someone you love, and someone who loves you.  Find work you love (on the job, and in leisure time), that is useful, and that pays.  Get a nice home, neighborhood, country, and world.  ---  04/24/1997

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  Growth and decay.  (1) Growth point: any more above it causes growth.  (2) Stagnation point: neither growth nor decay.  (3) Decay points: any more below it causes decay.  (4) Breaking points: any more beyond it causes destruction.  ---  12/30/1992

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  Growth and decay.  If we don't do anything: things fall apart.  If we do wrong thing: things fall apart.  If we do right thing: things fall apart slower.  ---  12/30/1992

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  Guilt and innocence.  Everyone is guilty by degree.  ---  12/30/1992

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  Guilt and innocence.  Fault, guilt, or blame is compounded by the degree of control you had over the act.  Whether you could have prevented it.  How intentional the act was.  How bad the act was.  And how often you did the act.  ---  12/30/1992

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  Guilt vs. innocence (amounts, degrees).  ---  12/30/1992

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  Harrassment.  Are there other types of harassment any less worse than sexual harassment?  Should not all forms of harassment be outlawed?  ---  2/29/2000

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  Hate groups.  Reasons why preaching hate is unjust:  (1) Verbal assault argument.  (2) Inciting to riot argument.  (3) Disturbing the peace argument.  ---  4/4/1999

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  Holy.  This holy day.  This holy life.  This holy man (me).  This holy room (my room).  This holy goal (my goal).  This holy effort, try, work.  What do I mean when I say holy?  Special?  Rare?  Unique?  Valuable?  Mystical?  Not to be wasted?  Tremendous potential or opportunity?  Gift?  Noble?  Grace?  ---  06/01/1994

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  Hope for the best, prepare for the worst.  Thinking about best/worst/average, be it historical or possible/probable/imaginable is a form of optimism/pessimism thinking.  Thinking how easy it would be to happen (the chances of happening).  It helps you appreciate (i.e., value) better what you have, and what is really important in life.  This is a difficult and important thing to do.  ---  02/20/1994

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  How to live.  (1) Figure out the best answers, arguments, and counter-arguments.  (2) Make the dopes see the light.  Sell the answer.  Public relations, advertise, negotiate, diplomacy.  (3) Make the actual changes together with the people you have persuaded.  ---  07/03/1994

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  Hypothetical ethical case.  Let's say there was a type of being that had some of the abilities of humans, but did not have other human abilities.  (Example 1: To think, but not feel: ala Spock the Vulcan.  Example 2: To feel, but not think: ala animals.  Example 3: To think and feel, but at a lesser level: ala children.)  What kind of rights would we give them?  We should not value children simply because they will one day be adults.  If all children died at puberty, and all adults were born as adults, then we would, or should, still value children.  ---  3/13/1999

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  I've tried a lot of things.  Because you liked them?  No.  Because you were interested or curious in finding out about them?  No.  Then why?  Because it is my ethical obligation to investigate all phenomena, both good and bad, regardless of whether I condone it or not, or even find it interesting or not.  ---  06/10/1997

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  If we thought everything out before hand, or if we decided never to hurt anyone, including self, nothing would ever get done.  So we take our chances.  ---  12/30/1992

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  If you are doing nothing, then you are essentially dead already.  Mindless couch potatoes are the living dead.  ---  6/20/1999

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  If you do an act and (1)(A) If no one knows but you: then you look at yourself differently and act differently from then on.  (B) But if you forget it: then there is little effect.  (2)(A) If everyone knows: then they look at you differently and treat you differently.  (B) If everyone forgets it: then there is little effect.  ---  06/30/1993

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  If you throw a young child's doll off a cliff.  And if the child thinks that the doll is real, and considers the doll a dear friend.  Is it as traumatic and real to the child as a real murder?  And therefore did you not in fact commit a real murder?  ---  06/30/1993

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  Inertia.  Can we really predict the outcome of doing nothing vs. doing something?  If we can't predict the exact outcome, does that mean we should do nothing?  ---  12/26/1997

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  Information and ethics.  Ostrich with head in sand.  Just as ignorance of the law is not an excuse, likewise ignorance of the world is not an excuse.  We all have a responsibility to Figure out and Find out.  ---  6/30/1999

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  Information and ethics.  See also: Economics, of information.  ---  12/30/2000

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  Information and ethics.  Which is worse, the illegal crime of stealing a loaf of bread, or the legal but unethical act of not telling someone something that will change their life for the better?  The second by far is worse.  This is the ethics of information.  ---  12/20/1998

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  Information and ethics.  Withholding information (secrecy), both by governments and individuals, is a crime, or at least unethical.  Therefore not withholding information is a good, and something we should do.  Therefore communication of information (all you have learned in life) is a must.  And communicating well is a must (short and clear, not long winded and obtuse).  The Notes is a must.  Therefore thinking is a must.  Therefore publishing is a must.  (2) Misinformation (lying) is also unethical.  (3) The open society (ala Karl Popper), and the open individual too (me).  ---  4/28/1998

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  Intrapersonal ethics.  Many people are familiar with the ethical principle known as the golden rule.  The golden rule is found repeatedly in many world cultures.   The golden rule is an ethical principle that applies to interpersonal situations.  Interpersonal situations are situations that occur between people.  However, not all situations are interpersonal situations.  We need ethical principles for situations other than interpersonal situations.  For example, since much of people's time is time spent alone, we need ethical principles for time spent alone in non-interpersonal situations.  We need an intrapersonal ethics.  ---  8/14/2004

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  Intrapersonal ethics.  Some basic intrapersonal ethical principles.  (1) Develop all of one's abilities.  Make use of all of one's abilities.  (2) Think of some worthy goals.  Pursue some worthy goals.  (3) Make an effort.  Take a stand.  (4) Don't give in to hopeless negativity.  Don't obey blindly.  Think.  ---  8/14/2004

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  Is happiness the only goal?  No.  Is happiness the highest goal?  No.  Happiness being an emotional state.  We put up with a lot of unhappiness to accomplish other, more important goals.  ---  6/4/2004

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  Is there an objective wrong, even one, in all cases, in all places and times?  What is it?  Abusing kids?  ---  12/30/1992

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  It is easy to act when others are with you.  Going against the flow or opposition is another matter.  Picking your battles and struggling and fighting is an important ethical issue.  Fighting, (1) Overtly or covertly, (2) Fair or dirty, (3) Using words, money, actions, etc.  How hard to push, and when to let up.  ---  11/15/1994

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  It is easy to do nothing (the inertia issue).  How unethical is it?  To self, and to world?  ---  12/30/1992

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  It only takes a split second of inattention or riskiness, or lack of knowledge (stupidity, ignorance) to destroy (1) Years of effort in the past, and (2) Years of opportunity and promise in the future.  ---  12/30/1995

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  Judging defined as making value judgments.  Value judgments can be made in the area of ethics, aesthetics and epistemology.  (1) Judging defined as making ethics value judgments.  (2) Judging defined as making aesthetic value judgments.  (3) Judging defined as making epistemological value judgments.  ---  6/9/2004

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  Judging.  (1) When do we draw the line and say "If you do not meet x standard, then I will do y to you, or I will not do z for you"?  (2) If you hold x view, or engage in x action, how important is it to me that you do so, as far as how I view you, for good or bad, even if what you do does not directly affect me?  (3) How do we avoid the dual mistakes of judging too harshly (and not helping the ones who really need it) or judging too lightly (and having or standards too low)?  (4) Why put up with assholes, nuts, and morons?  How can one help them, at a safe distance, without getting hurt, and depart from them unscathed?  (5) How would I now judge the Paul who I was at age 17 or 21?  (6) If you meet someone, and know nothing about them, how friendly can you really be with them, and how much can you really interact, and for how long, with someone who you know nothing about?  ---  03/01/1997

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  Judging.  Holding people responsible.  Holding people accountable.  One view holds that we should "judge not, lest ye be judged".  An opposite view holds not only that we judge naturally, but also our entire legal system is based on judging.  (1)(A) The "judge not" view.  This is a popular "pop psych" view.  First they say you cannot know what someone is going through that drove them to commit a crime.  Then they say the victim should "get over it", and get over their anger.  This is also a popular religious view.  They believe you should forgive and forget.  (B) I think all of the above views are baloney.  Only a few criminals have extenuating circumstances that drive them to commit their crimes, and most are just plain evil.  Also, if it is a heinous crime, the passage of time does not make it any less heinous, and the victims relatives and the public have will have a natural impulse, a right, and an obligation to stay incensed at it.  We should not forgive or forget injustice.  (2) The "judge" view.  We have the ability to judge.  We have the obligation to judge.  And it is completely impossible not to judge.  Judging is a natural part of how we live.  We should stay angry at injustice (like Hitler's injustice).  The passage of time does not make what Hitler did any less heinous, and our reaction to what he did should not lessen over time.  We should not "get over" what Hitler did, nor forgive him or forget him.  (3) Our anger should not be so great as to incapacitate us.  Our anger should be enough to spur us on in thought and action.  ---  03/31/1997

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  Judging.  How do you judge a person (others and self)?  (1) How well they think.  How much they use their brain.  How much they think, and talk, and act.  (2) How much they feel.  (3) How much they transcend themselves, and widen their view (see 4-7).  (4) Memory.  Past and future thinking (time).  Thinking of other places too (space) (thinking of rest of world).  (5) Imagination, vision.  (6) How much they think about others.  (7) How much they think about problems and solutions vs. having fun.  (8) Effort vs. accomplishment issues (see 9-12).  (9) What they have accomplished.  (10) How hard they have tried.  (11) How much potential they have in themselves.  What they could be.  (12) What percentage of their potential they have made use of.  (13)  How healthy, balanced, and wise are they.  ---  03/01/1997

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  Judging.  Some people say, "Who are we to judge?  We cannot judge them."  Bullshit.  Human beings judge.  People make judgments.  If we define "judging" as thinking about ethics, then it is actually good to judge.  ---  5/29/2007

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  Law and ethics.  Law is a system of ethics.  Can one base their personal ethical system so as to mirror the social legal system?  Are we not all required to do this to some extent when we obey the law?  ---  4/28/2001

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  Levels of excellence.  (1) To be the best ever.  (2) To be the best alive.  (3) To get one's name and works in the record books, or publish a book or paper.  (4) To make a contribution, even if not acknowledged.  (5) To be able to understand what the best in the world said.  ---  05/01/1993

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  Lifestyle choice is the big ethical combo choice people make based on realization of own abilities, likes and dislikes, goals, and values.  Either that, or they are swept along for the ride, unconscious of their situation, unthinking and ignorant.     Your freedom equals your choices available in your situation or environment.     You have to pick a meaning in life, or else one will be assigned to you.  ---  03/30/1993

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  Lifestyles.  Various things that some people live for:  Some people live for pleasure.  Some people live for leisure.  Some people live for happy hour.  Some people live for the weekend.  Some people live for vacation.  Some people waste their lives in the pursuit of mere pleasure, instead of solving the problems and injustices of the world.  ---  4/18/2007

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  Lottery Test is a good way to figure out what you value, and also what you should value.  The Lottery test: If you won the lottery, and did not have to work for the rest of your life, what would you do with your time?  How would you live?  Your answer to this question reflects what you consider to be the "good life".  It also causes you to think about the purpose of life.  Too many people let earning a living become the center of their universe, let it narrow their view, and let it justify their actions.  The lottery test tries to go beyond occupation oriented ethics.  ---  6/26/1999

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  Lying to yourself is essentially repression.  This is in part why lying is wrong.  Because you start to be dishonest with yourself, and this is repression, which causes mental problems.  ---  1/6/1998

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  Make a list of all the good and bad things in life, and in my life.  ---  12/30/1992

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  Making the most of yourself.  (1) All personal abilities.  All areas of knowledge.  Generalization rather than specialization.  (2) Not to be lazy.  Not to waste self, waste life, waste abilities.  (3) To balance one's efforts.  ---  6/7/2004

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  Manners, etiquette, and politeness as bullshit diplomacy vs. manners, etiquette, and politeness as ethics, and as true caring.  ---  12/30/1992

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  Many ethical statements take the form "If I can't (fu*k you), then I am going to (kill you).  And "If I have to (fu*k you), then I am going to (kill myself).  ---  08/30/1993

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  Materialistic overconsumption sucks.  As opposed to voluntary simplicity, which is good.  ---  10/17/1999

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  Me.  Current Paul ethical system.  (1) What I should do to self, others, and nature, for all subject areas (work, leisure, sex, house, etc).  (2) How others and nature should treat me, all subject areas.  (3) Most important do's and don'ts, by subject areas.  (4) Actions and reasons behind them (goals, strategies and tactics, and reasons).  Also, past Paul ethical systems.  ---  12/30/1992

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  Me.  Ethical analysis of my situation.  Possible alternative for action.  Chosen alternatives, reasons why chosen.  General ethical principles, and situation specific principles.  ---  12/30/1992

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  Me.  Given constraints of no job, no girl, no stuff, what to do?  I am an ascetic and a rebel.  ---  12/30/1992

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  Me.  My ethics: don't goof off, or waste time.  Exercise, sleep, diet.  Think long, and hard, and systematically on all subjects.  Stay focused, stay positive, stay motivated.  ---  12/30/1992

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  Me.  Past: my history from an ethical perspective.  Present: what do I live for now, and what do I enjoy now?  Future: what are my goals?  ---  12/30/1992

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  Me.  The search for kicks: sex, drugs, climbing.  Kicks keep getting harder to find.  Vs.  The search for meaning, purpose.  It is becoming clearer to me what I want to do.  ---  12/30/1992

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  Metaphysics and ethics.  (1) Things that are hard but fun.  (2) Hard and no fun.  (3) Easy and fun.  (4) Easy and no fun.  ---  5/30/1998

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  Metaphysics and ethics.  (1) Three variable pairs.  Hard vs. easy.  Fun vs. no fun.  Good vs. bad.  (2) Twelve dyad combinations.  Hard and fun.  Easy and fun.  Hard and no fun.  Easy and no fun.  Fun and good.  Fun and bad.  No fun and good.  No fun and bad.  Hard and good.  Easy and good.  Hard and bad.  Easy and bad.  (3) Eight triplet combinations.  Hard and fun and good.  Hard and fun and bad.  Easy and fun and good.  Easy and fun and bad.  Hard and no fun and good.  Hard and no fun and bad.  Easy and no fun and good.  Easy and no fun and bad.  ---  9/13/1998

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  Micro-penalties.  Wrongs that are not specifically illegal, such as insults, degradation, invalidation and intimidation.  These acts cause psychological harm.  It causes people's spirits to be beaten down.  It causes loss of self esteem.  It causes loss of hope.  It contributes to the oppression, exploitation and discrimination of minorities of sex, race, age, etc.  ---  4/22/1999

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  Modern american mass ethic, which consists of doing job, obeying laws, and having fun doing nothing on the weekends, is not good enough.  Any one could do 90% of the jobs out there.  And people are going jobless and hungry because they do not have a chance to do your job.  No, we must also help people, think things out, and speak the truth to others (preach).  We can not just escape and withdraw.  ---  02/20/1994

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  Modern american society's weekend ethic is "Eat, sleep, fu*k".  ---  11/02/1993

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  Money and religion and ethics.  It is good to work hard, and to get rich.  A god would want good people to make money, in order to gain political power, so one can make better laws and better society.  Also to help the poor more directly.  Some religions see poverty as a virtue, and prayer rather than work a virtue.  This is wrong.  You can do more good if you have some resources to effect change on a wide level.  Other religions say hard work and economic success are good.  This is true, but one should not pursue money only, or at the expense of wisdom.  ---  12/30/1996

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  Most important idea.  The biggest ethical issue today is the environment.  This is because the environment will affect countless future generations.  ---  5/30/1998

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  Most people, most of the time, behave ethically.  Why is that?  Because they want a reward?  No.  Because they fear punishment?  No.  Because they have developed ethical reasoning?  Yes.  ---  2/28/2004

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  Natural ethical injustice of natural situations, and environments, natural objects, and natural events.  It sucks.  ---  12/30/1992

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  Natural ethics of luck and fate.  (1) Who gets more good or bad done to them unjustly by nature, and who gets more pleasure or pain from it vs. (2) who does more and better things, with how much effort.  ---  12/30/1992

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  Natural ethics: natural rights, and natural duties.  ---  12/30/1992

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  Natural injustice.  Life is inherently unjust and unfair.  Examples: presence of evil, uneven distribution of good.  It is up to us to make life just and fair.  ---  12/30/1992

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  Natural injustice.  The injustice of the natural world.  We were born.  We grow old and die.  We suffer a lot in between.  In an imperfect world.  ---  12/30/1992

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  Natural injustices: bad luck, misfortune, and accidents.  Examples.  (1) One person born smarter than another.  (2) One person born better looking than another.  (3) One person born to psycho parents.  (4) One person born in a shit environment.  ---  12/30/1992

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  Natural justice: when what should happen happens.  Natural injustice: when better or worse than above happens.  ---  12/30/1992

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  Neutrality.  There is no such thing as neutrality.  Even not taking a position is taking a position.  Even not acting is acting.  ---  06/05/1997

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  Objective and subjective ethics.  (1) Metaphysics.  Objective: what truly is real.  Subjective: what a person thinks is real.  (2) Ethics.  Objective: universal.  Subjective: relative to individual or situation.  ---  12/30/1992

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  Objective and subjective ethics.  (1) Objective ethics: to what degree are we all alike?  Universal situations, goals, and values.  (2) Subjective ethics: to what degree are we different?  Varying situations, goals, and values.  (3) It is a mix of both.  We all have similarities and differences.  ---  12/30/1992

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  Objective and subjective ethics.  (1) Objective ethics: what actually is good.  Subjective ethics: what you think is good.  (2) Objectivism: there is a universal good.  Subjectivism: good depends on person involved.  ---  12/30/1992

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  Of all the days of your life, how many were good days and how many were bad days?  And so on for everyone who is alive, and for everyone who has ever lived, and for everyone who will ever live.  So we see that life on earth is mostly benign.  ---  10/31/2004

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  One can analyze a person's ethic system in part by examining the person's goals.  (See: Psychology, drive, goals).  ---  9/2/2005

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  One view is that ethics exists only to the extent that the sentient beings in a situation are able to think and act.  Thus, there is no ethics to be done by people in vegetative states, or by helpless newborns, or by simple animals.  So, in a world where no sentient beings exist, ethics does not exist.  At the other extreme, if humans in the future develop far greater powers of thought and action, and develop far greater ethical awareness, that would be a new ethical situation.  For example, if everyday humans could move planets telekinetically, and had the ethical reasoning of a hundred supreme court justices, that would be a new ethical situation.  ---  7/15/2006

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  One view.  Those obsessed with ethical problems may have an undeveloped, unsophisticated ego.  ---  12/30/1992

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  Only good acts, with none bad, will save you.  ---  12/30/1995

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  Opportunity.  An ethics of opportunity.  You see this in court a lot.  A person is held responsible because they had the opportunity to act, but decided not to.  ---  03/20/1997

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  Opportunity.  Any opportunity is an ethical situation.  Opportunity to do good, or to do bad.  To fu*k up an opportunity vs. to use it and make the most of it.  Choice.  ---  06/06/1994

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  Opportunity.  Ethics of opportunity and waste.  (1) Do not waste opportunities.  (2) Create more opportunities.  More opportunities means more freedom.  ---  04/15/1997

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  Opportunity.  The important thing in ethics is not what you did or did not do, but what you could have done (potential and opportunity).  ---  06/06/1994

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  PART ONE.  Applied ethics, principles of.  (1) Eye for an eye.  (2) Golden rule.  PART TWO.  Applied ethics topics.  Death penalty.  Abortion.  Infanticide.  Euthanasia.  Medical ethics.  Bio ethics.  Sterilization.  Eugenics.  Geriatricide.  Genomics.  ---  6/7/2004

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  PART ONE.  On one's destructive potential to other humans (in person, and in writing).  The hurt you put on someone will be measured by the person who receives it.  Not by how bad you think it is.  Not by how bad societal norms think it is.  Rather, by how bad the recipient thinks it is.  The recipient could think it less or worse than you or society thinks it is.     PART TWO.  In the realm of everyday social relations (the realm of micro-penalties), you want to reach justice.  You want to reward the good, and you want to punish the bad.  All within the bounds of the law of society.  But it is very difficult to tell how the recipient of your reactions will perceive your actions.  Some people will cry even when it does not pain them, so as to avoid further punishment.  Other people will say "It doesn't hurt" even when it does hurt them, because they don't want you to know you are hurting them.  Some people will think a smile is a big reward.  Other people will think the shirt of your back is not enough for them.     PART THREE.  On top of that, it is sometimes a matter of type and not just degree.  You may think one type of reward or punishment is called for and the recipient may feel that another type of reward or punishment is called for.  Furthermore, you need to be just (fair) to yourself when rewarding and punishing others, because you are one of the parties involved in an incident and your rights need to be represented.  So it really does matter, after all, how you perceive the reward or punishment.  You don't want to do injustice to the other person, but you don't want to do injustice to yourself either.  If you do injustice to yourself then you have failed to stand up for yourself, which can have very negative mental effects in the long run.  (evidence the movie "Me, Myself and Irene").     PART FOUR.  It is easy to be excessively harsh with children.  It is easy to be excessively harsh with neurotics (i.e., adults still in a childlike mental state).  It is easy to be excessively harsh with the mentally fragile (You can hurt them badly without realizing it).  ---  7/5/2000

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  Paternalism.  (1) Paternalists are those who argue, "You are incapable so I will do it for you."  Or those who argue, "I am more capable so I will do it for you."  (2) Objections to paternalism: people will often try to convince you that you are incapable in order to coopt your power.  A lot of people will try to convince you that they are more capable in order to coopt your power.  This is a common power tactic, play or gambit.  A bully ploy.  Usurpers of your personal empowerment and then abusers of your personal empowerment.  ---  1/4/2004

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  Peace.  Three views of peace.  (1) Peace as compliance, and giving in.  (2) Peace as ignoring, repressing, or turning your back on justice.  (3) Peace as peaceful opposition vs. violent opposition.  The non-violent resistance espoused by Ghandi and Martin Luther King.  (4) The first two are bad.  The third is good.  ---  03/20/1997

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  People mourn the death of innocent civilians, but were not our soldiers innocent civilians too, until they were drafted and ordered to fight?  Were not the enemy soldiers innocent civilians until they were ordered to attack?  Very few are not innocent.  Yet how we hate the enemy.  ---  9/19/2001

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  People sometimes say things like, "I did what I was supposed to do.", or, "I did not know I was supposed to do that."  "Supposed to do" is an interesting phrase.  (1) People often use the phrase "supposed to do" as a way to limit their ethical responsibility, as much as they use the phrase "supposed to do" as a way to acknowledge their ethical responsibility.  (2) "Suppossed to" according to a societies written law?  "Suppossed to" according to some suppossed religious text?  "Suppossed to" based on universal principles.  (3)  Supposed to as blind rule following rather than thinking for oneself.  ---  9/11/2005

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  People who decide that either they have done all that they want to do; or that they have done all that society expects them to do; or that they have done all that they should do; or that they have done all that they could do; how wrong they are.  They will realize that it is not enough.  They could have done more.  Egoism is essentially lazy as much as it is greedy.  ---  8/30/2005

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  People.  .See also: Philosophy, people.  ---  11/30/2004

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  People.  (1) Problem solvers.  (2) Do nothings.  (3) Problem causers.  ---  12/30/1992

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  People.  (1) The question of whether their is such a thing as an intrinsic "human nature" or not.  That is, if we are not blank slates, and if our development is not 100% nurture.  (2) If so, the question is whether human nature is basically good, bad, or neither (free to choose good or evil).  Human nature is basically good because it has bio-evolved to ensure the survival and continuation of the species.  If human nature was basically bad then more people would be murdered than are born, and the human race would die out.  Also, there would be no progress.  But we see that there is progress: greater human rights, better living conditions.  And there are less murders than births.  The human race is growing and improving.  Therefore human nature is good.  If we were bio-engineered to be evil then we wouldn't survive.  We would destroy ourselves.  We may yet screw up the earth.  One psycho with a bomb could end it all.  ---  5/30/1998

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  People.  Are people good or evil?  Most people are survivalists and crowd followers.  Many will act good just to survive better.  Many are amoral.  Many cultures are amoral on many topics.  Many people are crazy by degree.  Many have never thought about these things.  ---  12/30/1992

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  People.  Does being macho require being evil?  Do you have to be a mean, power mad, fighter all the time to be a man?  Can you be a man without fighting?  When to fight, when to cooperate?  see sociology.  ---  12/30/1992

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  People.  Ethics and people types.  Some people are part of the problem.  Some people are part of the solution.  ---  12/30/1992

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  People.  Everyone is trying to manipulate and control everyone.  Everyone is doing everyone wrong.  ---  12/30/1992

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  People.  Individuals who (1) Helped: advanced the system, kept the system going.  (2) Did nothing.  (3) Hurt people and destroy things.  ---  12/30/1992

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  People.  More harm is done by those who think they are right when they do an act than by those who are unsure when they do an act or by those who know they are wrong when they do an act.  ---  12/30/1992

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  People.  Perpetrator vs. recipient of a good or bad action.  ---  12/30/1992

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  People.  Some enjoy jerking others around any way they can, for sport.  Protect yourself (prevent), defend yourself (cure).  ---  12/30/1992

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  People.  Some people are in total opposition to you.  For them you have to play it close to the chest.  ---  12/30/1992

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  People.  The opposition.  The gadfly.  The underdog.  The rebellion, the resistance.  Until everything is perfect, it is the only position to take.  "What ever it is, I'm against it.", to quote Groucho Marx.  ---  12/30/1992

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  People.  The poor, stupid, crazy, and ugly.  They need abuse least and get it most.  They need love, nurturing, and care most and get it least.  ---  12/30/1992

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  People.  Types.  (1) Ruthless response to little provocation vs. kindness as a response.  (2) Backstabbing b.s. artists vs. up front and honest people.  (3) Brownnosing vs. not.  ---  12/30/1992

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  People.  Types.  (1) Sharks, hawks, doves.  (2) Recipients, perpetrators, and bystanders. (3) Hero, villain, and stooge.  (4) Fallen heroes, and redeemed criminals.  (5) Do gooders, pragmatic survivalists, and evil doers.  (3) Assholes: stupid, crazy, and unethical.  ---  12/30/1992

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  People.  Why do people keep pushing (effort), even when they don't have to (beyond survival and security)?  Why do millionaires still work?  ---  12/30/1992

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  People.  You don't have to be unethical to be a man.  ---  12/30/1992

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  Perfect day in this world (considering my situation), and thus perfect contentment or happiness, is perfect 100% effort.  Thus you can be happy in life, regardless of what life hands you, as long as you try your best, and have low expectations, and have no sense of justice.  ---  10/05/1994

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  Personal ethics can exceed societal ethics.  I am not counter-cultural, I am supercultural.  ---  12/30/1992

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  Philanthropy makes you feel useful.  Feeling useless leads to suicide.  Feeling useful vs. not useful is a different feeling from feeling evil vs. good; or happy vs. sad/angry; or hopeful vs. hopeless.  ---  04/24/1997

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  Philanthropy raises the interesting question: do we help others primarily because it makes us feel better?  ---  9/11/1998

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  Philanthropy.  You should do charity work to help yourself primarily, not others.  It makes you less guilty and anxious knowing you are helping others.  Thus it makes you feel better knowing you are doing all you can to care for yourself.  You feel better about yourself, and have better self esteem.  ---  12/30/1996

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  Preparation.  Ethics of preparation and practice.  Foresight and future thinking.  Prepare for opportunities and misfortunes.  Be prepared.  Ever vigilant, eternal vigilance.  Minuteman.  Hope for the best, prepare for the worst.  Ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.  ---  12/30/1992

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  Problem.  (1) Where are the biggest problems and injustices in the world?  Overseas, not in the United States.  These problems are political and environmental.  (2) The biggest mistake you can make is to forget these problems.  It is easy to say things like, "It is not my problem.  It does not matter to me.  There is nothing I can do about it."  ---  06/05/1997

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  Problem.  Local egoists vs. global altruists.  ---  7/30/2005

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  Problem.  Most people are too concerned with their own lives, their own problems and desires, to even think about anything else, period.  Let alone think about anyone else they do not know.  Let alone think about the environment.  Let alone think about everything else in the world (their Notes).  This is a poor situation to be in.  ---  10/30/1997

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  Problem.  People lose sight of what is important (health, love, ethics, activism) and get seduced by greed, pleasure, empty-headedness, and laziness.  ---  12/30/1996

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  Problem.  The big problem today is waste of lives.  Girlfriend, family, school, work, society, advertisers, they all tell us not to think.  They tell us to consume, conform, and repress.  ---  04/30/1993

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  Problem.  The big problem.  How to get people to think, and write, and not waste their lives.  That is what Notes is all about.  They'll feel better and society will benefit.  ---  11/10/1993

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  Promise or contract in a non-legal sense.  PART ONE.  (1) Saying you will do something.  Some people consider it a promise.  Some do not consider it a promise unless prefaced by the phrase "I promise" or "I swear".  (2) Writing that you will do something.  Some people consider it a promise.  Some do not consider it a promise unless prefaced by a written "I promise" or "I swear".  Some do not consider written statements a promise unless signed and dated.     PART TWO.  What types of promises are breakable under what conditions?     PART THREE.  A promise is like getting an extension of credit.  A promise is a type of trust.  PART FOUR.  Sometimes a promise is implied by a situation or relationship and need not be explicitly expressed in speech or writing.  ---  4/3/2001

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  Promise.  Ethics of promising.  (1) Promise.  Verbal contract.  Keeping one's word.  Good as your handshake.  Vs.  (2) Betrayal of trust.  Liar.  (3) When should we break our promises?  ---  06/10/1997

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  Questions of ethics.  (1) What does the word "fun" mean?  What things are fun?  (2) What does the word "interesting" mean?  What things are interesting?  (3 What does the word "important" mean?  What things are important?  (4) What does the word "like" mean.  What things do I like?  ---  8/2/2006

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  Rebellion.  See: Psychology, personality, traits, rebellion.  ---  12/30/2000

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  Related subjects.  (1) Psychologically healthier people are more ethical.  They are more calm, not anxious about their future.  They are more confident of their ability to survive.  Sub-optimal psychological states lead to anxiety, fear, desperation and crime.  (2) Voluntary simplicity adherents are more ethical, because they do not commit crimes to gain more stuff.  (3) Well socialized people are more ethical.  Poorly socialized people are more prone to crime.  ---  1/25/1999

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  Related subjects.  Health and ethics: Ethics is all about improving health.  ---  12/30/1992

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  Related subjects.  Language and ethics.  (1) Analysis of ethical terms.  (2) Primitive development of ethical terms.  More + good = better.  More + bad = worse.  (3) Types of ethical statements.  ---  12/30/1992

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  Related subjects.  Math and ethics.  The probability of x happening as a result of y.  ---  11/15/1994

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  Related subjects.  Metaphysics and ethics.  A metaphysical entity becomes an ethical entity when it (1) Affects another thing, and (2) When we can control it.  ---  12/30/1992

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  Related subjects.  Metaphysics and ethics.  There is no peace, life is always struggle, of different types, different degrees, and different rules of engagement.  ---  12/30/1992

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  Related subjects.  Philosophy and ethics.  Relationship of metaphysics, epistemology, and ethics.  (1) One view is that in this world, understanding reality does not tell us what to do.  (2) Another view is that epistemology yields metaphysics, which yields ethics.  After you have reasoned out your epistemology, and thus deduced your metaphysics, then it is time to confront your ethics.  Doing these three things is what life is all about.  ---  12/30/1992

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  Related subjects.  Politics and ethics.  Ethics of all political issues.  What are the possible positions, and arguments for and against them.  ---  09/15/1993

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  Related subjects.  See: Health, philosophy.  See: Law, philosophy of law.  See: Leisure, philosophy, ethics.  See: Politics, philosophy  and  Politics, justice equality liberty.  See: Science, ethics.  See: Sociology.  See: Technology, philosophy of.  See: Work, philosophy, ethics.  ---  12/30/2000

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  Related subjects.  Work and leisure.  Survival, work, money vs. pleasure, play, fun.  Budgets and schedules.  ---  12/30/1992

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  Relativism and ethics.  Ethical relativism and culture.  Ethics is not relative to culture.  (1) Because the notion of culture is flawed.  There are no separate, distinct cultures.  Just as there are no separate, distinct races.  There are just people living on earth.  Neighboring cultures (and races) have always seeped into each other in the past.  And today, with communication and transportation technology improving, cultural boundaries are eroding even further.  We will eventually attain one race and one culture.  (2) Also, culture can be reduced down to tribe, family, dyad, and individual culture.  So there is really just psychology.  ---  3/30/1998

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  Relativism and ethics.  Main positions.  (1) There is no right and wrong.  (2) There is relative right and wrong.  (3) There is absolute right and wrong.  ---  12/30/1992

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  Relativism and ethics.  People make the mistake of saying all ethics is relative.  (1) The same act in one situation can be good, and in another situation can be bad.  For example, killing in war vs. murder.  (2) The same act can be good for one individual or society and bad for another individual or society.  Because each individual and society has different goals to accomplish.  For example, a brain surgeon cutting lawns vs. a thirteen year old cutting lawns.  (3) But that does not mean one individual or society can not say what is good or bad about another individual or society, which is what relativists wrongly believe.  ---  5/30/1998

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  Relativism and ethics.  We could bring Aristotle to our age and he could understand it.  We could go to ancient Greece and understand it.  Ethics is not relative to culture.  There have been cases where primitives are brought to the city and adapt to it.  ---  5/30/1998

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  Relativism and subjectivism in ethics.  (1) Relatavism.  All ethics depend on the specific situation or case.  There are no general rules.  (2) Subjectivism.  There is no objective truth.  Truth is in the mind of the beholder.  ---  12/30/1992

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  Relativism.  Pure relativism would only apply if every person was completely different from the next and if every situation was completely different form the next, and if it was not possible to understand anything about anyone or anything other than oneself and one's situation.  Such is not the case.  ---  4/28/2001

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  Rights approach to ethics.  Two types of rights.  (1) "Its my right as a human", has to do with human rights.  (2) "Its my right as a US citizen.", has to do with national rights, which is a type of promise or contract.  ---  4/29/2001

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  Rights.  Human rights.  The major ethical issue is human rights.  The major human rights issues are torture, imprisonment without due process (trial by jury, etc.), terrorism, clitorectomy, slavery, etc.  These things still go on and always will if we are not vigilant.  The system does not run it self.  Find the biggest worldwide human rights organizations.  Get involved.  ---  10/30/1994

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  Rights.  If something is a right then when a person is deprived of the thing then the person has a legal case.  Usually rights are abilities, like the right to vote.  If you make a right out of a material thing, like food, and if food is scarce, what legal recourse does the person have?  What if the right is a service, like education?  When you make a right out of anything that is scarce or costs money then that is an issue.  ---  4/3/2001

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  Risk.  See: Philosophy, chance.  ---  11/15/2001

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  Rule as "do this or else you'll pay".  Rule as "do this before that", priorities.  ---  12/30/1992

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  Rules.  (1) Rules are "if...then..." statements.  Do humans perform most of their ethical decision making by using rules?  (2) To what degree do we follow our own personal rule systems?  Example, "If I see it, I will kill it".  (3) Do the rules have reasons backing them up?  Example, "If I see it, I will kill it, because if I don't it will kill me first and I would prefer that it die before I do".  ---  12/30/1992

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  Rules.  Ethics and rules (see also law).  (1) Physical laws (metaphysics).  (2) Society's rules.  (3) Personal rules: hard and fast vs. flexible and breakable.  ---  12/30/1992

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  Rules.  Ethics as a system of rules.  Ethics as rules of engagement.  Laws are a subset of ethics.  Manners are a subset of ethics.  ---  7/31/2006

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  Rules.  For any rule that a society makes, what is the reason behind the rule?  Some people describe ethics as a system of rules.  Instead of describing ethics as a system of rules, we should describe ethics as a system of reasons for rules.  ---  6/15/2007

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  Rules.  Positive and negative rules.  Requirements (must do), and sanctions (can not do).  ---  12/30/1992

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  Rules.  Some people describe ethics as a system of rules.  (1) Sometimes a society will allow an exception to a rule.  Sometimes a society will allow several exceptions to a rule.  What happens when the number of exceptions to a rule equals or exceeds the number of times the rule is applied?  (2) Sometimes a rule is changed.  That is, sometimes a law is changed.  For example, the law permitting slavery was abolished.  In any system of ethics there has to be a procedure for change, for improvement, for progress.  Ethics is dynamic, not static.  However, if the rules are changing all the time with no rhyme or reason then that is chaos.  ---  6/15/2007

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  Rules.  There should be reasons for the rules.  There should be reasons given as to why a rule was made.  There should be reasons given as to why a general rule applies to a specific situation.  ---  12/28/2006

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  Rules.  Types of ethics rules.  (1) Universal rules.  Always do this.  Never do that.  (2) Conditional rules.  If x is the case, then do y action.  ---  7/15/2006

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  Rules. Types of rules.  (1) Natural laws: hold as far as we can tell.  Describe cause and effect relationships.  (2) Rules of logic: necessary truths.  (3) Moral rules.  What we think is justice, as far as we can tell.  Moral rules are not arbitrary in that any rule can not apply to a situation.  However, moral rules may be relative to a situation.  (4) Conventions.  (A) Cooperative conventions: people agree to do it the same way.  Standards.  (B) Social norms: are often purely arbitrary.  People may mistakenly think social norms are moral rules.  Social norms of repression and conformity.  (5) Aesthetic norms: pure taste, fad and fashion.  ---  1/10/2002

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  Science and ethics.  Ethics was once the last refuge of the philosopher.  No more.  Sciences like evolutionary psychology have shed more light on ethics in the last thirty years than philosophers have.  ---  4/29/2001

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  Science and ethics.  Knowing the facts of what is can help you determine which ethical opinions and attitudes to hold.  Science does not automatically tell you what to do, but it helps you figure out what to do.  ---  3/25/2006

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  Searching out new ideas and experiences vs. sticking to a tried and true routine.  ---  12/30/1995

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  Secrets.  Hidden thoughts, words, and actions.  ---  05/30/1993

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  Self-neglect and self-abuse occurs 90% more than neglect of others or abuse of others, in frequency and duration, but not in intensity.  ---  09/10/1994

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  Short term pleasures versus long term pleasures.  ---  10/23/2005

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  Should one believe in a lie if it makes one happy?  Should one ignore the truth to avoid pain (sadness, anxiety, anger)?  No, that is called denial, a psychological defense mechanism that is not healthy in the long run.  ---  2/3/2004

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  Silence hides the guilty.  Talking exposes the guilty.  Silence favors the guilty.  ---  03/07/1989

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  Silence.  Saying nothing is saying something.  Silence yields consent.  Silence can also say "This subject or issue is not important enough to talk about, and any idea or action on it is as good as another".  There are no neutral positions.  You can't avoid making ethical statements.  ---  12/30/1995

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  Situational ethics.  (1) Common situations.  (2) Common ethical problems in each situation.  For example, relationships, work, school.  (3) Logical structure of problems and solutions.  (4) Ethics principles derived from situations, problems and solutions.  ---  12/4/2005

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  Situational ethics.  The biggest situation is life.  How much freedom and power do you have, and can you get?  Power from resources (psychological, physical, monetary, social, etc.).  The biggest/worst problems in the world are...  The biggest/worst problems for me are...  What to do about them, and why.  ---  02/04/1994

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  Situational ethics.  What should I do?  Ethics changes with the situation you are in, and with who you are.  For example, in the 1600's the best thing you could do was discover gravity.  In the 1800's discover electricity.  In the 1900's discover relativity.  Each situation has its most important goals, and its most important things to do next (next steps).  Is there a universal principle?  Save the world?  ---  11/10/1997

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  Social dimensions of ethics.  (1) Altruism vs. egoism.  Cooperation, competition and conflict.  Ethics of power.  Ethics of communication.  Ethics of sex.  Ethics of relationships.  Ethics of group activities.  (2) We, as individuals, don't exist in an ethical vacuum.  Other people exist.  Ethics has a social dimension.  ---  6/7/2004

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  Social equality.  (1) A true view.  Natural injustice exists.  It is wrong.  We can and should try to set it right.  (2) A false view.  Natural injustice does not exist.  It is all god's will.  (3) Another false view.  Natural injustice exists, but it is better to let the weak die in the interest of Darwinian survival of the fittest.  (4) Another false view.  Natural injustice exists, but that's life.  That's the breaks.  It is a crap shoot, you play your hand how it is dealt to you, and we should not change it.  ---  3/10/1999

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  Some kids have this trouble: their parents are like Stalin, and no one can stop it.  ---  12/30/1992

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  Some people declare a constant state of war against the world in order to try to justify the use of any means, including unethical actions.  ---  10/2/2003

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  Some people have a personal ethics system that says "If its not illegal then I can do it."  It that really ethics?  No.  ---  9/12/2003

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  Some people say, "If they are happy living that way then its okay."  Bullshit.  Some actions are wrong even if the recipients of the wrong action are not upset by the wrong action.  ---  5/29/2007

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  Some things are worth living for.  Some things are worth dying for.  Some things are not worth living for.  Some things are not worth dying for.  ---  12/30/1992

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  Someone does something to someone.  In response you can do something pro, or do something contra in equal force, or do nothing, or do something worse (to self or them).  ---  04/30/1993

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  Soul task.  Some people say to find a soulmate.  I say that one should also find a soul task.  Your soul task is some activity you love to do.  It should be healthy, productive, socially useful, worthwhile, and ethically good.  A purpose, a meaning, something worth living for.  It doesn't have to be your job.  One should also have a soul dream.  An ideal that keeps you going.  The soul task should eventually lead to the soul dream.  But it is the process, not the end that is important.  ---  1/12/1997

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  Specific issues.  Cannibalism.  Should we consume human flesh?  Regularly vs. only in certain situations?  Only if you will starve, and other food is not available?  ---  12/30/1992

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  Specific issues.  Ethics of returning store bought items.  (A) When you have only used them a little (ex. wearing a shirt outside once).  (B) When you have used them completely (ex. reading a book or watching a video).  ---  12/30/1995

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  Specific issues.  If you could choose whether to have a baby from the sperm and egg of you and your wife vs. a baby from the egg and sperm of Nobel prize winners, which would you choose?  ---  12/15/1994

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  Stand.  Do I have a reputation to uphold?  Do I have an example to set?  That all depends if I feel I stand for (or against) anything, and what it is.  You stand for (or against) what you are (and are not), what you believe/think and behave.  It is unavoidable.  Having no opinion on a subject is having your head in the sand.  ---  10/10/1994

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  Stand.  Ethical development.  Take a stand.  Taking a stand is important for ethical development.  (1) The alternative is a child state of mind; a state of mind that continues to exist in the neurotic adult or under-developed adult only through the use of ignoring, avoidance, and repression.  This mental state is typified by thoughts and statements such as "I don't know.  I don't care.  Nothing is important.  It does not matter.  Nothing matters.  Whatever.  Not my job.  I can not be bothered.  Others will do it."  How long can one exist in such a state?  Some spend their whole lives in such a state.  (2)(A) In order to take a stand one must LEARN all the facts of the case.  And the case is the world and reality.  One learns by finding out and figuring out.  One must learn all the ethical choices (alternatives) that the facts permit.  One must learn all the arguments pro and contra each ethical choice.  And one must prioritize, or rate in importance and urgency.  (B) Then one must SAY what one believes.  And one must WRITE what one believes.  And one must ACT (behavior) on what one believes.  Thus one takes an ethical stand, instead of repressing and avoiding which leads to mental illness.  ---  03/08/1997

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  Stand.  Ethics is about taking a stand.  One of the worst things you can be is vacillating or apathetic.  Wavering back and forth between views, unable to make up your mind, is simply not good.  Wasting your time, not caring, or ignoring world problems is not good either.  ---  12/30/1992

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  Strength vs. weakness.  War vs. pacifism.  Shows of strength are sometimes necessary to protect self, or to do justice.  ---  12/30/1992

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  Strength, weakness, opportunity and threat analysis is useful not just in business but also in ethics.  Ethical analysis can be done by analyzing the opportunities and threats your situation or environment presents, and the strengths and weaknesses of yourself.  ---  11/10/1997

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  Stuff.  Unneeded stuff yields slavery.  Lack of needed stuff is slavery.  No lack of needed stuff, and no unneeded stuff = freedom.  ---  12/30/1992

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  Subject, issue/problem/question, views, arguments, evidence.  ---  12/30/1992

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  Suboptimal ethical view: "Do as you are told.  Believe and obey instead of thinking."  Blind belief and blind obedience is not an optimal ethical view.  ---  6/7/2004

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  Supererogatory ethics  (1) Is there such a thing as supererogatory ethics?  Going beyond the call of duty.  It depends on what you consider to be your duty.  Going beyond the average person.  Going beyond "the best so far", i.e., record breaking.  Going beyond what the job requires of the worker.  Going beyond what the law requires of a citizen.  To do more than you had to do.  (2) Some say we should always be giving 100 percent.  And the utmost you can give is 100 percent.  Giving anything less is unethical.  Thus, supererogatory ethics do not exist.  (3) Is supererogatory ethics used in an altruistic sense or an egoistic sense?  Altruism: to do for others.  Egoism: to do for yourself.  (4) Should we exhaust ourselves to the point of physical or psychological self-destruction?  No.  (5) Supererogatory ethics has to do with effort expended.  But who sets the goals we work toward?  ---  10/31/1999

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  Superogatory ethics.  Money.  Say you are born rich.  Why not live a hedonistic life of ease?  What, if anything, should you make an effort (and put up with pain) to do?  ---  08/22/1993

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  Supervenience.  When does one ethical argument out-weigh or take precedence over another ethical argument?  ---  9/10/1998

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  Talent vs. effort.  (1) Talent is luck.  Effort is to your credit.  (2) You get no credit for talent.  You only get credit for effort.  (3) Effort is measured in hours time, since intensity of effort is always maximal.  ---  7/29/1999

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  Technology expands the realm of ethics.  Technology changes the environment, problems and solutions.  ---  12/4/2005.

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  Temptation is an opportunity.  Types and degrees of temptation.  Forces that drive us to give in to a temptation opportunity.  ---  12/30/1992

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  Temptation present in a situation, and susceptibility of individual to it (fragility).  Temptation to hurt, or to be hurt.  One mans temptation is another mans non-temptation.  ---  12/30/1992

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  Temptation.  (1) Forces driving us to garbage and mediocrity: advertising, mass pressure.  (2) Forces driving us to excellence:?.  ---  12/30/1992

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  Temptation.  (1) How much money would you take to keep your mouth shut?  (2) How much money would it take for you to (A) Look the other way, turn away, or (B) Stop exploring, stop searching.  ---  06/10/1994

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  Temptation.  (1) Obstacles: passive and active.  (2) Temptations or seductions: passive and active.  ---  12/30/1992

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  Temptation.  (1) Price.  What opposition or seduction would it take to convince you to do wrong.  Bribe, intimidation and threat.  (2) What would it take to convince you to do right.  ---  9/11/1998

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  Temptation.  Forces, pressures, temptations and obstacles.  These are forces to act unethically, and represent a decrease in freedom.  ---  12/30/1992

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  Temptation.  Forces, temptation, seduction.  Some people have a tougher time being ethical than others.  Some people are more tempted or urged to unethicalness than others.  Ex. Being poor, mentally ill, etc.  ---  12/30/1992

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  Temptation.  Pressures to do good and right vs. pressures to do wrong and evil.  (1) Internal pressures.  Conflicting thoughts, emotions, and attitudes.  (2) External pressures (society, peers, loved ones).     PART TWO.  Somehow we group our choices into right and wrong.     Two types of pressures for good and evil.  (1) Temptations seduce you and draw you in.  You react out of desire.  (2) Forces bully you and threaten you.  You react out of fear.  (3) Either one can be used to produce good or evil.  Calm deliberation is both their opposites.  ---  9/10/1998

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  Temptation.  The forces on you when you decide to do an act.  (1) Internal forces: psychological and physical.  (2) External: natural and social.  (3) Are the forces mitigating?  Are the circumstances extenuating?  ---  12/30/1992

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  Temptation.  Whatever is not a means is an obstacle?  Is there such a thing as ethical neutrality?  Whoever is not for me is against me?  ---  12/30/1992

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  Terminology.  Appreciate: to recognize how, how much, why, and why not, something is important and valuable.  ---  04/30/1993

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  The American life of leisure (hedonism) is pure avoidance.  Life is problem solving (in theory and in practice).  Pleasure is bullshit.  Grab only enough of the best pleasures to keep you self-motivated and productive.  ---  10/10/1994

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  The best thing parents can do is inculcate, through example, and reasoned discussion, and notes, an ethic of valuing ideas, love of thinking and questioning, and hard work.  Independent, exploring, researching, and learning, through reading, writing, and discussing.  "Independent" meaning "outside of school" or "self directed".  ---  01/07/1997

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  The big question: How to help the world?  ---  5/21/2006

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  The ethics of emergency situations.  Let's say someone asks you for a ride in your car.  You say no.  But in an emergency situation, if someone is dying and you are the only one who has a car, you feel more inclined to give them a ride.  I say that everyone is dying all the time.  It may be a slow dying as opposed to a fast dying, but it is dying nonetheless.  Also I say that my brain is like the car in the emergency situation.  My brain is a tool that is one of a kind.  My point is that life is an emergency situation, and each of us can save the day.  ---  8/21/1998

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  The ethics of epistemology.  (1) Ignorance is bad, especially if the ignorance is avoidable.  (2) Curiosity and inquiry are good.  ---  7/31/2006

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  The ethics of the storekeeper: "I just want to run my store.  I don't want to alienate my customers.  I don't want to express my views.  I don't want to make any enemies."  Some people think America is about business.  And they think business is about not alienating one's customer base.  And they think the way to not alienate customers is to not hold any opinions, or to hold only "middle of the road" opinions, or to always keep your opinions to yourself.  This view is bad and wrong.  This view sacrifices ethics and justice for money.  ---  6/30/2004

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  The ignorance of evil do-ers.  Ignorance is evil.  Willful ignorance is even worse.  ---  11/10/1997

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  The nature of ethics.  (1) No one is going to make you figure out your highest ethical standards.  No one is going to make you adhere to your highest ethical standards.  No one is going to recognize, acknowledge or reward you when you reach your highest ethical standards.  (2) Everyone has their highest ethical standards.  Can you do better?  Can you do more good?  Will you raise your own ethical standards?  (3) For any action and reason, you can find people who support it, people who are against it, and people who don't care one way or the other.  ---  7/22/2006

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  The only authentic existence is to start living and working on your own as soon as possible (while staying in school).  ---  08/20/1994

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  The perfectionist's view.  There is no pleasure, only decreasing pain.  No freedom, only slavery by degree.  No peace, only conflict by degree.  No success, only failure by degree.  No justice, only injustice by degree.  No love, only dislike by degree.  ---  12/30/1992

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  The search for higher values.  (1) Doing what we have the urge to do (drive).  (2) Doing what feels good (emotion).  (3) Doing what we think is good (thinking).  Thinking, about the world and its problems, is a key component to ethical development.  Thinking lets us develop ethical statements and positions.  (4) Thought, emotion and drive are all key components for ethics.  Integrated ethics: A good act should make sense rationally; it should feel right emotionally; and it should satisfy a drive or urge.  ---  5/8/1999

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  The straight and narrow (vs. the edge) is boring, but also stresslessly happy, worry free, with the confidence to pick, fight, and win battles.  ---  10/10/1994

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  The Toll: between accidents, disease, natural disasters, and drive by shootings, it is a wonder anyone is alive.  ---  12/30/1992

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  The world moves forward, advances, improves, slowly but surely, with or without you.  Do not let it pass you by.  Dig in, hop on, get messy.  Pedal, steer, or clear the road.  Three tiers: workers, managers, and inventors.  Do not get left back, or left behind.  Do not give up hope, and do not give up trying.  Do not just take a free ride with your eyes closed, asleep.  ---  06/10/1994

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  There are a million ways to drown, and a million ways to save someone from drowning.  Each of us is both drowning and capable of saving someone from drowning.  ---  11/9/1999

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  There are many rights, and many wrongs.  Is there an optimal combo?  ---  12/30/1992

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  There are two variables in ethics.  (1) Situation alternatives.  Things that could happen.  (2) Action alternatives.  Things that we could do.  (3) (A) The effects of our actions are anyone's guess.  Its tough to fine tune.  (B) The probability of occurrence of situations is anyone's guess.  Often things happen that you would not expect or could not imagine.  (4) So where does that leave us?  ---  4/16/2000

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  There is a limited number of ethical situations and actions.  They deal with (1) Action: power, freedom  (2) Stuff and property,  (3) Words: promises, lying and secrets vs. open and honest.  All this is the stuff of politics and law.  ---  04/30/1993

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  There will always be someone richer, smarter and better looking.  That is no excuse to commit crimes.  There will always be someone poorer, dimmer and uglier too.  ---  7/1/1999

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  Things that are (1) Easy or hard.  (2) Quickly accomplished or long time taking.  (3) Fun or no fun.  (4) Strengthen or weaken me.  (5) Many combos possible.  ---  12/30/1992

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  Thought and action.  Development of ethical ideas in theory vs. adherence to ideas in practice.  ---  12/30/1992

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  Thought, word, action.  (1) The ethics you say you believe in vs. (2) The ethics you actually believe in vs. (3) The ethics you adhere to in action.  ---  11/15/1994

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  Three types of behavior.  (1) Fight, oppose.  (2) Cooperate, deal maker, contract.  (3) Aid, freebies, giveaways.  Information, emotion.  How much do I and should I give away without expecting in return?  Commonly accepted freebies: "What time is it?  How do I get to "x" location?"  ---  02/05/1998

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  Time and ethics.  (1) We, the current generation, must actively help repair past social injustices simply because we have the capacity to do so, and it is the right thing to do.  (2) The situation is not simply one of crimes by past individuals which we as present individuals are not responsible for.  (3) The question becomes: how far back in history should we search and how minor the injustice should we repair.  ---  3/13/1999

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  Time and ethics.  (1) You vs. future generations.  (2) You vs. the future you.  ---  10/25/1994

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  Time and ethics.  A court case was recently decided to give reparations for taking Jewish money in World War II.  Can the living sue on behalf of the dead?  Apparently yes.  Can the living get reparations on behalf of the dead?  Apparently yes.  These are important ethical and legal questions in regard to righting past wrongs.  I think these issues are important because I don't agree with the view that some people hold which says "Once the victim and the perpetrator are both dead we forget all about the crime".  I think african-americans deserve reparations for being held captive as slaves.  And they deserve more than an apology.  And we should also consider tobacco reparations against victims of lung cancer.  ---  8/8/2000

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  Time and ethics.  Ethics has a temporal dimension.  Ourselves and others exist in the past, present and future.  Past, current and future self.  Past, current and future others.  Past, current and future generations.  Don't burn out the earth.  Achieve ecological sustainability.  ---  6/7/2004

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  Time and ethics.  Future generations.  (1) A large part of ethics is about giving a shit about other people.  (2) The largest group of people is those yet to be born.  (3) The best we can do for those yet to be born is to create a sustainable society.  (4) This is the best argument for environmentalism.  ---  12/29/1997

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  Time and ethics.  Future generations.  Are future generations more important than past generations, being that the past generations are dead and the future generations are yet to be born?  Yes.  Are future generations more important than present generations in that the future generations have their whole lives ahead of them and the present generation is half dead (that is, the present generation is the statistical average between those just born and those who are just about to die).  ---  9/17/2001

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  To be all you can be.  To fulfill your potential.  To do all you can do.  You have to have your shit together in all areas of your life.  Head, love life, work, social skills.  To choose your battles, and develop the weapons to fight them takes a refined ethical sense, smarts, wisdom, and strength.  ---  11/15/1994

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  To the great, mediocrity is evil.  ---  05/20/1994

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  To want to improve the world.  To want to make a difference.  To want to not live in vain.  Is it just ego?  Is it self-serving?  Or is it dedication to justice, truth and goodness.  What are your reasons for doing good?  ---  4/24/2004

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  To witness injustice and not act, is as bad to yourself as putting up with injustice yourself.  ---  06/30/1993

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  Tolerance vs. intolerance.  (1) Not having any ideas vs. having many strongly held ideas.  (2) And given that, being intolerant vs. still being tolerant.  ---  12/30/1992

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  Trade offs: what bad thing will you put up with in order to get a good thing?  ---  12/30/1992

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  Two alternatives.  (1) Do nothing.  A life of leisure.  Enjoy it.  Hedonism.  (2) Work hard.  Accomplish much.  Even if it is difficult and not always enjoyable.  ---  1/8/2003

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  Two basic views.  (1) There is right and wrong.  (This view is correct).  (2) There is no right and wrong.  Do whatever you want to do.  (This view is wrong).  ---  7/31/2006

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  Two categories: the unethical yet legal vs. the unethical and illegal.  Into the former category fall the frowns, the glares, the harsh words, the cold shoulders.  Teasing, bullying, bigotry, intimidation, abuse of power.  In this world, all of the these things add up to be perhaps greater than the unethical and illegal acts.  In an individual, a lifetime accumulation of "unethical yet legal" acts perhaps outweighs a single "unethical and illegal" act.  ---  8/21/2000

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  Two closely related arguments.  (1) Someone did wrong to me, so therefore I will do wrong to someone else (knowing it is wrong).  (2) If someone did it to me it must be ok, and if it is ok I will do it to someone else.  (3) Both cases can be wrong.  Examples: child abuse vs. hitting kids to discipline them.  ---  09/15/1993

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  Two factors.  In your life, the types, degrees, frequencies of (1) Opposition (examples: abuse, neglect, bad situation).  (2) Temptation (examples: money, sex, power).  (3) Actual vs. potential (threatened or promised).  (4) Real (objective) vs. imagined (subjective).  ---  08/20/1994

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  Two important areas of ethics are work and leisure.  (1) What job to do?  (2) What to do with leisure time?  ---  5/8/2002

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  Two metaphysical systems.  (1) Things that are hard but good.  Hard and not good.  Easy and good.  Easy and not good.  (2) Things that are not fun but good.  Not fun and not good.  Fun and good.  Fun and not good.  (3) Are these two systems the same?  ---  12/30/1992

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  Two realms of ethics.  (1) Realm of the legal vs. the illegal.  (2) The realm of the non-legal (ex. Taste).  ---  1/8/2003

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  Type 1 ethical error: punishing the innocent.  Type 2 ethical error: letting the guilty go free.  ---  5/6/1999

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  Types or areas of ethics.  (1) Ethics of business.  (2) Ethics regarding animals.  (3) Ethics regarding the natural environment.  (4) Ethics of technology.  (5) Ethics of information.  (6) Ethics of computers and the Internet.  (7) Ethics of science.  ---  3/25/2006

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  Types or areas of ethics.  (1) Ethics of eating.  (2) Ethics of sex.  (3) Ethics of sleeping.  (4) Ethics of drugs.  (5) Ethics of rock and roll.  (6) Ethics of leisure.  (7) Ethics of work.  (8) Ethics of social relations.  Micro-politics.  Macro-politics.  (7) Ethics of being alone.  (8) Ethics of money, finance, business and economics.  (9) Ethics of time.  (10) Ethics of health.  (11) Ethics of knowledge, information.  ---  3/25/2006

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  Urgency.  Where does one find the urgency to pursue good things?  In two ideas.  People are suffering and dying now, this very minute, due to the injustice of the bad things in this world.  Good things will bring justice, joy and happiness to people.  ---  10/23/2005

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  Various ethical points of view one can adhere to.  (1) What can this person do for me?  (2) Will this person harm me?  Either intentionally or unintentionally?  (3) What can I do to help this person?  (4) I say, help people, but defend self first.  (5) Can I set up an even exchange of values with this person?  Values like attention, kindness, information, etc.  (6) Everyone needs help, not just the poor.  Help does not have to be money, it can be a kind word, attention, etc.  (7) Merely respect all people equally, and make sure they respect you equally.  ---  12/26/1997

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  Various views about ethics that people hold.  (1) Honesty is the best policy. (a true view).  (2) What they don't know won't hurt them. (a false view).  (3) The rule is, there are no rules. (a false view).  (4) If you don't get caught, it ain't illegal. (a false view).  ---  06/30/1993

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  Violence.  (1) Is all force violence?  (2) Physical vs. psychological violence.  (3) When is violence and force justified?  In cases of self-defense.  In cases of protecting others from unjust use of force.  (4) Is non-violence and pacifism good if you get whipped?  (5) Escalation.  Not good.  (6) Violence does damage, both reversible and irreversible.  (7) When we use force we may not be aware of the irreversible psychological damage that it causes.  ---  8/11/1998

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  Vocabulary opposites, poles, dichotomies, and scales.  Act list.  Balance.  Ethical systems.  Ideals, perfection, heroes.  Meaning systems.  Question list.  Success and failure.  Utility.  Urgency.  Choices.  Edge.  Endgame.  Lifestyle.  Means, ends.  Values.  Virtue.  Healthy, unhealthy.  Smart, stupid.  Sane, crazy.  Good, evil.  Pain, pleasure.  Enjoy, don't enjoy.  Effective, not effective.  Efficient, not efficient.  Productive, not productive.  Practical, not practical.  Legal, illegal.  Sin, virtue.  Happy, sad, angry.  Better, worse, and best, worst.  Problems, solutions.  Easy, tough.  Shit, excellent.  Guilt, innocence.  Help, hurt.  Use, waste, and use, abuse.  Care, abuse, neglect.  Fair, unfair.  Just, unjust.  Ethical, unethical.  Right, wrong.  Good vs. bad, evil, sin.  Do, experience, get, become, be.  Have to, don't.  Want to, don't want to.  Need to, don't need to.  Can, can't.  Should, shouldn't.  Could, could not (past, future). Would, would not.  Might, might not.  Will, will not.  Does, doesn't.  Effort, results.  Intention, unintended.  Perpetrator, recipient.  Importance, priorities.  Obedience, disobedience.  Conformity, nonconformity, rebellion.  Revenge, recompense, retribution, punishment vs. reward.  Risk, care/carelessness, negligence.  Responsibility vs. irresponsibility vs. no responsibility.  Do's vs. don'ts.  Thought, word, action.  Stasis, change.  Attack, defense.  Action, reaction, inaction.  Dominant/passive.  Strengths, weaknesses.  Create, build vs. destroy.  Allies, neutrals, enemies.  Fault/no fault.  Deserve, don't.  Sympathy, empathy.  Omission vs. commission.  Obligations, imperatives, duties, responsibilities vs. freedoms, rights.  Lies, secrets.  Work, leisure, play, fun, no fun.  Equality; justice; freedom and liberty vs. slavery.  Abuse, neglect.  Acts and behaviors; areas and subjects; choices.  Effort vs. accomplishment.  Forgiveness, vengeance.  Importance.  Intention vs. consequence.  Preparation.  Rebellion.  Responsibility and obligation vs. neglect, carelessness.  Reward, punishment, payback.  Rules.  Success and failure (winning and losing).  Utility.  Waste.  ---  12/30/1992

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  Ways that people go wrong.  (1) People forget what is most important.  People don't think about figuring out what is most important.  (2) People slack off.  People give in to ease, comfort, pleasure.  People play it safe.  (3) People crumble, cave in, to opposition.  People compromise.  (4) People lack vision.  People lose sight.  People can't see the problems and solutions.  (5) People fail to challenge themselves.  ---  7/22/2006

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  Ways to measure things.  (1) Uniqueness.  Are you 1 out of 10?  100?  1000?  10,000?  100,000?  1,000,000?  1,000,000,000?  5,000,000,000 (all on earth)?  10,000,000,000 (all who ever lived)?  1,000,000,000,000 (all who will ever live?)?  (2) Are you the best of (A) Your town.  (B) One year (High school champ).  (C) Your country.  (D) Your generation.  (E) All time and space.  ---  12/30/1995

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  What and how much should we put up with in order to live?  ---  12/30/1992

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  What do I want to do with my life?  ---  12/28/2006

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  What does it take to be happy like I used to be?  When?  When I had security, and freedom, and hope.  Go for goals.  ---  06/30/1993

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  What if person B drags down person A more than person A helps person B?  ---  12/30/1992

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  What is ethics?  (1) Ethics as a list of do's and don'ts.  (2) Ethics as a list of do's and don'ts, with the associated reasoning or explanations.  (3) Ethics as a list of do's and don'ts, with the associated reasoning or explanations, and with the associated debate of views pro and contra.  ---  11/15/2005

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  What is ethics?  (1) Ethics is about the selection of alternatives or choices.  You can (A) Give a new explanation of why an existing alternative should be chosen, or (B) You can create a new alternative itself.  Technology creates new alternatives, and so does power, and resources.  (2)(A) You can find new solutions to existing problems, (B) or you can redefine existing problems and then find new solutions, or (C) you can find new problems.  ---  10/30/1994

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  What is ethics?  An ethical-less world (i.e, not an evil world, but a world without ethical issues and ethical responsibility), what would it be like?  Would it be like being an infant?  ---  12/30/1992

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  What is ethics?  Ethics is how not to act like an asshole.  And how not to be a victim of assholes.  ---  12/30/1992

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  What is ethics?  Ethics is prescriptive statements (saying what to do) made by x person for y person to follow.  ---  12/30/1992

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  What is ethics?  Ethics is unavoidable.  (1) Everything has an ethical dimension to it.  (2) All human relationships are an ethical dilemma.  (3) Ethics is the basis for all struggling for all goals.  ---  12/30/1992

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  What is ethics?  Ethics is unavoidable.  If you ignore ethics, ethics does not go away.  ---  12/30/1995

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  What is ethics?  Ethics is unavoidable.  It is impossible not to act.  Even taking no action is an action.  It is impossible not to have a point of view.  No matter how impoverished that view is.  ---  12/30/1992

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  What is ethics?  Ethics is unavoidable.  Once you are born you are cast into an ethical dilemma.  ---  12/30/1995

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  What is ethics?  Ethics is unavoidable.  The unavoidable ethical nature of human life.  Every action has an ethical aspect to it.  Every situation does to.  Every person does to.  To be human is to be ethics bound.  Even if you ignore it, ethics is still there.  ---  12/30/1992

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  What is ethics?  Ethics is unavoidable.  There will always come an ethical crisis: "If I had only did a little more, or tried a little harder or longer".  ---  12/30/1992

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  What is more important than trying to solve the problems of the world?  Nothing.  Saving the world is a worthy goal.  ---  4/24/2007

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  What is worst?  Death?  Pain?  Injustice by far.  ---  12/30/1992

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  What is wrong with going nowhere or being a fu*k up?  Nothing, if that is what you want, or if you don't hurt anyone (including yourself), or if that is all you can do.  ---  09/06/1988

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  What pisses me off most.  (1) Most people (including myself) waste a lot of time, waste their lives.  They read crap novels, and watch crap TV.  Fluff instead of good stuff.  They think fluffily and sporadically about unimportant subjects instead of rigorously and consistently about important subjects.  They don't record their thoughts.  They ignore and avoid 90% of the phenomena in life and the important problems in life.  They pursue only their narrow job field, or a narrow hobby.  They give into leisure and ease.  I was once like this, wanting only "fun". I used to hate hard thinking and writing, and now I love it.  (2) People are screwed up, have screwed up thoughts, and do screwed up things because they haven't taken the time and effort to think hard enough to get themselves straightened out and set up right.  Things are not "ok now" as they believe.  Their views would change and improve with effort and time, as they disbelieve, and it is really important to improve.  Same for physical condition.  I loathe those who don't take care of their body, mind and life.  It is so easy to abuse or disregard (neglect) body, mind and life.  ---  11/30/1996

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  What should we accept and reject, and why?  Where to draw the line?  What should we put up with and not?  What should we go for, and how much resources should we risk to get it, at what odds or probability of getting it?  ---  12/30/1992

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  What to do?  (1) Do what makes you happiest?  No, not necessarily.  (2) Do what makes you most money?  No, not necessarily.  (3) Do what is most important.  Do what is most just.  Do the right thing.  There are many good things to do.  Identify problems and find solutions.  PART TWO.  (1) What is just-ness, right-ness, good-ness?  What things are just, right, good?  (2) What is happiness?  Happiness is an emotion.  What things produce happiness?  What things make you happy?  ---  12/4/2005

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  When many people think about ethics they often think about the physical actions one person does to another.  However, I think that the mental actions of the individual alone is equally important.  By this view, some of the big ethical wrongs include: wasting time, not gaining knowledge, and not thinking critically.  One could argue that the mental actions of the individual are as important an ethical concern as the physical actions of groups.  ---  5/22/2005

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  When someone can not see, tell, or understand how much something will help them (e.g. Buying a computer) or hurt them (e.g. Booze or drugs).  ---  02/28/1998

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  When to compromise?  To compromise one's ideals is to sell out.  When is it selling out vs. when is it being realistic?  Compromise on little things.  Compromise on inconsequential details.  In important situations, when must we reach a compromise?  Example, in politics.  ---  2/27/1999

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  Whenever anything bad happens, some people actually say that it is all god's will, that it is all in god's plan, and that everything happens for a reason.  What about the Holocaust?  The people who say such things (A) Acknowledge no responsibility for their actions, and (B) Acknowledge no responsibility for achieving justice, and (C) Don't acknowledge free will, and (D) Don't acknowledge the fact they can influence things if they try, and (E) Don't acknowledge that others do wrong either.  ---  11/30/1996

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  Why ethics?  If you never think about ethics, your ethics are apt to develop more slowly, and that could be costly.  ---  12/30/1992

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  Why is it important to do the means and get the ends?  (1) To avoid wasting your life, so you don't have to say "I could have been more".  (2) You never know what you can come up with if you work at it.  You can surprise yourself (this applies especially to me).  ---  12/30/1995

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  Why must we help others and ourselves?  Because we can.  We must help them or face (now or later) emotional pain, existential pain, and the knowledge that we did injustice.  ---  11/30/1996

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  Why study ethics?  Not to become a blindly obedient clone drone but to help yourself become an ubermensch total person.  ---  12/30/1992

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  Why think about ethics?  (1) Two problem views.  (A) All we need is science.  (B) All we need is religion.  (2) Actually we need the philosophical study of ethics desperately.  And ethics philosophy is being ignored.  ---  10/25/1994

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  Why think about ethics?  The view that ethics study produces lifeless, rule following zombies, nerds, faggots, and drones vs. the view that ethics study produces free thinkers.  I believe the latter.  ---  12/30/1992

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  Why think about ethics?  The whole point of ethics study is to avoid pain, avoid mistakes, and avoid wasting your life.  ---  12/30/1992

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  Words and actions.  (1) Some people say actions speak louder than words.  They are mistaken because speaking is an action.  (2) Some people criticize others as "all thought, no action".  They are mistaken because thinking is an action.  (3) Those who want to speak with their fists, by resorting to physical violence, first try to devalue words by using the above phrases.  Those who want a society of blind belief first try to devalue thinking by using the above phrases.  ---  6/8/2004

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  X person is "depending on", "counting on", "trusting" Y person to do Z action.  Does Y know it?  Does Y have a responsibility to X either way?  Was X expecting too much (no right to "expect" that")?  ---  07/30/1993

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  You can make a difference just by living.  Lets say you accidentally meet someone who is on the verge of suicide.  Lets say if they go on living they will find a cure for cancer.  If you are nice they will live.  If you are not nice they will kill themselves.  It is up to you.  You can't tell what condition they are in.  So it pays to be nice to everyone.  And they affect other people too.  They may crash their car into someone you know.  Or they may help another suicidal genius stay alive.  ---  12/30/1995

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  You can't teach, only show.  ---  12/30/1992

Philosophy, ethics.  ---  You must be rowdy up to the point that (1) You don't die.  (2) You don't destroy your career chances by compromising your social status.  (3) Anything less is wimpiness.  ---  02/10/1994