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Date:         Wed, 11 Nov 1992 16:01:25 CET
From:         Klaus Kursawe <NDB035@NOV.HB.SE>
Subject:      re : ethics

Alan,

here are my thoughts about ethics - I hope it's not completly out of date
(I sended it now for the third time, it always came back)

>        1- What is ethics?
Ethics is a system of values and norms that shall help you to make decisions.
Usually the most important factor of a persons ethic is the ethic of his
society. The original sense of ethics is to protect the society from
behavior which could destroy it - e.g. killing your neighbour if you don't
like him. The possibilities of a human are now so big ( it is possible to
kill millions of people 1000 miles away by pressing a button), and his live-
style is so anatural (e.g. big cities), that the natural mechanisms are no
longer enough and people need more tyo preventy them from becoming barbarians
(in an experiment rats were put together in a very small cage, and soon they
started killing each other( even babies) until the normal population was
reached - I don't think we want to do the same).
As a child, the values and norms of your enviroment (parrents, teachers,...)
get fixed in your brain and you start feeling bad if you violate them -
so it's not only that you fear the punishment if you do something wrong
(like a child), you have your ethic in you (see also Sigmund Freuds Theories).

>        2- What are the question that ethics asks?
There are many ethial modells from different philosophs which ask different
questions, e.g. :
"be-lucky-ethic" : Does it make me or other people happy if I akt this way ?
Kants Imperativ  : Akt in a way that the rest of the world could do the same!
Nature Ethic     : Nature is good, so ask if you akt naturally
Christian Ethic  : There are several versions. Usually  Moses 10 laws are the
                   basic rules (especially LOVE EVERYBODY LIKE YOURSELFS)
Situation-Ethic  : There are no general rules. Decide new in each Situation.
...

The problem is that every ethic which fixes itself on a special questions
becomes weak : There are situations where you can't ask this question.
The "br-lucky-ethic" failes in situations where other values (e.g. live)
are questioned and workes just in good times. Kant failes if you are in
a unique situation ( How shall Clinton decide what to do with this ethic ?
THere is only one President of the USA), the nature-ethic failes some-
times because nature is not ethical, neither good nor bad ( I could write
several pages to this subject, but it doesn't fit here). A law-based ethic
failes if it becomes necessary to break the laws (Would it have been un-
ethical to kill Hitler ? But the law "You shouldn't kill" would have
broken). The situations-ethic is also weak because it doesn't give you
any help to decide anything.
There are ethic-models that give you enough freedom (e.g. the paulus-ethic
(a kind of christian ethic), which says that god accepts you as you are
and gives you all freedom, and a real christ will not missuse that. The
basis is still Moses, but you have more flexibility because you have no
Laws, just proposals. In theorie this sounds very good, in practice
a) very few people know about it and
b) it requires enough responsibility to live with this freedom
(see also the story "The Grossinquisitor" by F. Dostojefsky) (I'm sure I miss
-spelled him, but I don't know it better. "The Grossinquisitor" is a part
of the book "The brothers Karamasow")).

>        3- How can ethics relate to religion?
Every religion I know has its own ethical model, but there are also ethics
without religion.

>        4- Is it imperfect duty not to believe in GOD? Why?
See above. Maybe the belief in a higher beeing can help you, but it can
also be dangerous (the biggest mass-murders and wars happened in the name
of the lord, e.g. the crusaders, the war against the indians, the 30-year
war etc)

>        5- What is your ethical system and how it could serve
           your needs?
I have a mixture from different ethical models. My roots are christian
because I grow up and live in a christian society, but I try to be open-
minded and to find outy things about other ethics.
Usualy I just ask if I would feel good if I would do soemthing and then I
decide - actually I don't know exactly how I do it, and I'm still
searching...

Good luck,


 Klaus
 NDB035@NOV.HB.SE
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