The New Ten Commandments

I am not claiming that my list of moral edicts is necessarily more ethical than those found in the Hebrew Bible, although I think that they clearly are. I am claiming that in an idealized world where people always followed my list we would live in a much safer, more compassionate, and generally happier world than one in which the original ten were followed with equal assiduousness. 1.) Do not believe anything without good reason or evidence. Indeed, allow reason and the scientific method to guide your beliefs about the world. 2.) Do not pretend to know things you don't really know and always allow yourself to be open to evidence and reason. 3.) Do not hoard your money or be absorbed by greed. Let generosity to the Earth's less fortunate be at the forefront of your daily life. 4.) Do not do unto others what you would find repulsive if it were done to you. 5.) Do not deprive others of their life, liberty, property or their pursuit of happiness and don't treat them purely as a means to some selfish end unless by doing this you would cause greater suffering. 6.) Do not discriminate against anyone on the basis of gender, nationality, species, ethnicity, or sexual orientation and don't violate the preferences that people may hold, insofar as those preferences aren't reprehensible. 7.) Make a general practice of reducing suffering in the world and increasing overall levels of happiness among living creatures. 8.) In all things try to refrain from harming conscious creatures and let compassion be a pivotal factor in the decisions that you make. 9.) Try to be motivated by love and a general concern for the well being of others. 10.) Encourage your children to study math, science, philosophy and literature to the best of their abilities. I have some suspicions that the ending part of my 5th commandment will raise grief with certain people so allow me to unpack it. Murderers, rapists, and arsonists can be jailed or justifiably be killed in acts of self-defense etc. That's really all that I mean by it. On a side note the list isn't necessarily arranged from most to least important. ======================== The original Ten Commandments ======================== 1. "I am the LORD thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. Thou shalt have no other gods before me." 2. "Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing thatis in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth: Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me; And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my Commandments." 3. "Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain; for the LORD will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain." 4. "Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work: But the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates: For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it." 5. "Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee." 6. "Thou shalt not kill." 7. "Thou shalt not commit adultery." 8. "Thou shalt not steal." 9. "Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour." 10. "Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his a$$, nor any thing that is thy neighbour's." [1] =================================== My exegesis of the original Ten Commandments =================================== 1.) The first commandment represents either the musings of a petty and jealous God or the ravings of stupefied ignoramuses that claim to speak on his behalf. 2.) Is the construction of graven images really the second most important thing to admonish from all future generations of humans? Could we live in a world with the resulting proliferation of graven images? Somehow I think we would manage. We also may wish to call into question the ethical soundness of punishing people for crimes their grandfathers and great-grandfathers have committed. It would be manifestly true to say that almost any other moral precept that replaced this rule would be more useful in reducing overall levels of suffering in the world. How about: don't abuse children or don't harm animals. Or how about: try not to deep-fry all of your food. 3.) Blasphemy is a victimless crime. 4.) It's not necessarily a bad suggestion to refrain from working at least one day a week. However, it's still grossly totalitarian and repressive in its content. What if I just love working on Sundays or Saturdays? 5.) The fifth commandment either presupposes the benevolence of parents or disregards the fact that some parents don't have their child's best interests at heart. In either case it crumbles upon scrutiny. 6.) This commandment seems unobjectionable at face value but it is still sorely lacking on at least four counts. In the context to which it was originally written it was generally applied only to other Hebrews. Secondly, it does appear to be contradictory with the rest of the Hebrew Bible when one considers that the Bible enjoins edicts for the genocide of peoples and entire nations. Thirdly, it leaves the murder of other species completely unmentioned. Likewise it leaves judicious self-defense completely unmentioned. Is it also wrong for me to kill someone if they are trying to kill me? 7.) Number seven is more or less unobjectionable. People should be faithful to the ones they love. However, it does seem a bit odd that this rule would appear in a list of the supposed ten most moral edicts ever bestowed upon our species. 8.) As with commandment # 6 this edict seems unobjectionable at face value but it still reeks of absolutism. Surely there must be a situation imaginable where theft was the lesser or two evils. What if I'm in a parking lot in the middle of nowhere with no cell phone and my mother has a heart attack? Would it be morally wrong of me to temporarily steal a car and drive her to the nearest hospital? 9.) Perjury is generally a bad idea. 10.) The content of the tenth commandment is proof positive that God is either sexist for lumping women in with other property not to be coveted or that this rule was written by misogynistic men. Secondly, it does seem to kill the spirit necessary for a free market. How am I to innovate or advance if I do not desire something my neighbor has. Peoples desire to have others peoples belongings is exactly what propels a healthy market. ======== Conclusion ======== Homophobia, racism, sexism, and speciesism are all compatible with the original list. My list, however, precludes all of these things and it provides useful positive moral responsibilities that if followed would almost guarantee that we lived in a happier world. If my list were diligently followed it is reasonable to conclude that we would live in a world filled with highly intelligent, compassionate and loving scientists that are moved to alleviate the suffering of other conscious creatures. The original list, on the other hand, dignifies mans prejudice and sanctifies his unreason. All the best, Freeman Sources [1] http://www.bibletencommandments.org... Definitions Speciesism- Human intolerance or discrimination on the basis of species, especially as manifested by cruelty to or exploitation of animals.