Practical Ethics.: The unavoidable basis of an ethics and politics

Corrected 11-09-2016

(This text is preliminary.)

The section “ethics and politics” in the Treatise no 6 argues for an unavoidable basis of an ethics and politics. However, the argument may appear indirect, to have made a detour. This circumstance has been sought clarified in the summary “An ethical basis” at ovemk2.bogspot.dk, which has also been published in a slightly revised version in Treatise No 7. This contribution moreover involves the personal ethical problems of the individual.

As it is usable to be able to state the argument both shortly and satisfactorily, such a rendition follows here. To this has been added yet a consequence.

A logically necessary basis of an ethics and politics.

Anyone that wants to discuss the question at all whether there is a basis, i.e. an unavoidable basis of an ethics, must admit that there is such a basis and even one that can be closely specified. The reason to this is as follows:

Such a discussion and the search of an answer to this question make it necessary to concentrate on the question and to aim at clarifying all the circumstances that can shed light it.

This demands favourable life conditions for those who will endeavour to make the necessary investigations and considerations.

A justified denial of this demands the same endeavours and thus leads to the same result. In other words, the result cannot be denied. With this, we have succeeded in finding the basis of an ethics and a politics:

the consideration and demand for good life conditions for all people.

This basis has concrete implications for how the society ought to be in order to fulfil this demand, and how we ought to act.

Of course, people can assert that they will no care with the question about the basis of ethics, but self-evidently they cannot argue that this is acceptable.

Consequences.

It follows from this basis, that actions that reduce other persons’ living conditions are objectionable. With that, it is objectionable if the laws of a country force the citizens in certain social groups to use all their energy on managing a hand-to-mouth existence, so that they get no means to clarification and experience, i.e. means to live the life and to know it.

In Treatise No 6 some further examples of ethical and political consequences have been stated.

In addition, it is so that the very work with this basis implies or demands that the single individual works with a clarification of many different subjects.