We have stumbled ethically from the dawn of history. Christians would like to blame it on a woman named Eve. All that has done is justify the abuse of half of humankind.Eastern Religions tend to fault the ego but without a spine and a bit of self-love, we are lost. Humanism has no answer for evil. All told the world is ready for a thought and action makeover.
Enter triadic philosophy
The makeover combines a healthy acknowledgment of universal fallibility and an awareness, that despite that, we are the only ones here. The world proceeds as we fallible folk determine.
Such freedom as we possess is a capacity to decide among alternatives.
Binary limits
There are two basic ways of thinking. Binary works well for math and computing but is death to ethics and aesthetics. Reality is in fact triadic.
We need a way of thinking that sees transcendence is within our grasp. Universal Values are transcendent, or if you prefer general. They apply to all. The same is true of aesthetics which is simply our Common identity. At bottom, we are artists and performers. Our deeds and expressions are who and what we turn out to be.
Iffy virtues
In this world, Virtues are iffy terms. Consider the values of tolerance, democracy, and helpfulness. These have a universal scope and suggest a universal direction which on analysis tends toward progress.Virtues are almost ethics-blind.
One can be a prudent thief or even a prudent killer.
Evil is doing harm
Apply any virtue to a scale of good to bad and it can fit anywhere. But the value tolerance (never even seen as a virtue) cannot be budged from goodness. Neither can helpfulness or democracy, properly understood. But I am isolated in making this point. It seems like common sense.
But virtues still dominate ethics, paving the way for a repetition of a binary past. Voila.
How the Modern World Made Cowards of Us All https://t.co/D05RFn10Sz
— Stephen C. Rose (@stephencrose) July 22, 2017
Hard to take
This is one of the most garbled efforts I have encountered in some time. The article should do just fine. It will sit well with those who make a living touting virtues.
It will satisfy a need for something to drag us out of the morass we are in. But when all is said and done, what courage demands universally is democracy and helpfulness and tolerance. And if you think these are easy and do not require nonviolent activism to achieve, come where I live and I will show you a nice bridge you can buy for nothing.
The only real triadic philosopher died in the early days of the 20th century and most of his best interpreters are dead too. Google Charles Sanders Peirce and send me a thank you note. The living Peirce folk are not popularisers. That may be because his time has not yet come.
We had better hope it comes soon because the last best hope some call USA is being threatened as never before.
