Blog
Pitirim Sorokin and strong character
November 6, 2014
The writings of Russian revolutionary and Harvard sociologist Pitirim Sorokin (1889-1968) show him as a great theorist of love who realized the intimate connection between love and truth, beauty, and goodness. Sorokin’s life displays all the components emphasized in this philosophy, beginning with a realization of beauty in nature and the arts, truth in religion and the intellectual life, and goodness in political activity and service to a world struggling in a difficult transition…. Read More
Strong and well-balanced character: A goal we all can reach
November 3, 2014
Abraham Lincoln 1864 There is much to say for the idea that we become good by doing good. As the proverb goes, “Sow an action, reap a habit. Sow a habit, reap a character. Sow a character, reap a destiny.” Another truth goes deeper. We truly do good on the basis of being good. And our quest for goodness, living the will of God, is met by genuine righteousness, true and beautiful, which comes as… Read More
Social ethics: affirmations, problems, and solutions
October 30, 2014
Mohandas Gandhi To many people there are some obvious ethical truths: society should support family life as well as individual self-realization; economic life should include the service motive as well as the profit motive; political life should pursue the good of the planet as well as the interests of the nation. No matter how obvious these ideas are to people of high ideals, we see many actions that seriously violate the balance between legitimate self-interest… Read More
The facts of evil and the truth of God’s goodness
October 27, 2014
Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church, Berlin, hit by bombs in WWII, preserved as a memorial of that nightmare. Whoever rejoices in the beauty and goodness of truth has to face the shock of facts that are ugly and cruel. When something terrible happens, it is common to ask, “Why me?” or “What did he do to deserve something like that?” or “All her life she was so good to people, and look what happened to her.”… Read More
The principle of the practice of the family of God
October 23, 2014
Pope John Paul II in 1993 Emotional sympathy and moral reason, despite their essential contributions, do not solve every moral problem. We can be well attuned emotionally and well informed, but sometimes our best thinking does not find the answer, and we spontaneously reach out for higher wisdom. Or we know what we should do, but the beautiful way how to do it is beyond us. These situations call for the golden rule on a… Read More
Philosophical ethics in a nutshell
October 20, 2014
Immanuel Kant If the first level of morally active living to treat others with consideration for their feelings, as you want others to do to you, the next level is rule of reason. Treat others in accord with reason, as you want others to do to you. This level of the golden rule can be more challenging, partly because sometimes we do not want to be treated with reason. We want the sympathy; we want… Read More
What really happens when we imagine ourselves in the other person’s shoes?
October 16, 2014
“Put yourself in the other person’s shoes.” The advice is familiar. This practice is often associated with the golden rule of treating others as we want to be treated; but we rarely think how the advice should be interpreted. There are two mistakes to avoid. First mistake: Assume that imagining yourself in the other person’s shoes gives you new knowledge. All that imagining can do cognitively is to prompt you to recall what you already… Read More
The golden rule of sympathy
October 13, 2014
The good Samaritan stopping to help an injured stranger It’s fascinating how many people don’t think much about morality. Morality is not trending. In popular media the word “morality” has overtones of being repressive, stuffy, outdated, smelling of religious authority, standing in need of sexual liberation. But when we get seriously mistreated, we are not only hurt and maybe angry but also indignant. We may protest, “He did not treat me like a human being.”… Read More
Quick Guide to the World’s Most Widespread Moral Principle: Chapter 1
October 9, 2014
Here’s the Rembrandt drawing that editor Cynthia Read thought of for my book cover. Treat others the way you want others to treat you. They may or may not reciprocate. But go ahead: Smile. Risk doing good. Have fun at it. You may inspire them to live better. Sometimes doing good to others means protecting yourself so that someone else does not take advantage of you or harm you. Your best thinking tells… Read More