The Code for Global Ethics: Ten Humanist Principles - Hardcover

Tremblay, Rodrigue

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1616141727 ISBN 13: 9781616141721

Verlag: Prometheus Books, 2010

Inhaltsangabe

Humanists have long contended that morality is a strictly human concern and should be independent of religious creeds and dogma. This principle was clearly articulated in the two Humanist Manifestos issued in the mid-twentieth century and in Humanist Manifesto 2000, which appeared at the beginning of the twenty-first century. Now this code for global ethics further elaborates ten humanist principles designed for a world community that is growing ever closer together.

In the face of the obvious challenges to international stability—from nuclear proliferation, environmental degradation, economic turmoil, and reactionary and sometimes violent religious movements—a code based on the "natural dignity and inherent worth of all human beings" is needed more than ever. In separate chapters the author delves into the issues surrounding these ten humanist principles: preserving individual dignity and equality, respecting life and property, tolerance, sharing, preventing domination of others, eliminating superstition, conserving the natural environment, resolving differences cooperatively without resort to violence or war, political and economic democracy, and providing for universal education.

This forward-looking, optimistic, and eminently reasonable discussion of humanist ideals makes an important contribution to laying the foundations for a just and peaceable global community.

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Über die Autorin bzw. den Autor

Rodrigue Tremblay (Montreal, Quebec, Canada) is a prominent Canadian-born economist with a PhD from Stanford University. He is a former Woodrow Wilson fellow and a Ford International Fellow. He is now professor emeritus at the University of Montreal, after having occupied the positions of full professor of economics at the University of Montreal, president of the North American Economics and Finance Association, president of the Canadian Economics Society, and advisor to numerous organizations. From 1976 to 1979, he was minister of Industry and Commerce in the Quebec government. He is presently vice-president of the International Association of French-speaking Economists. Professor Tremblay has written thirty books dealing with economics and finance, some also tackling moral and political issues.

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The Code for GLOBAL ETHICS

Ten Humanist PrinciplesBy Rodrigue Tremblay

Prometheus Books

Copyright © 2010 Rodrigue Tremblay
All right reserved.
ISBN: 978-1-61614-172-1

Contents

Acknowledgments...............................................................15Preface: Toward a New Planetary Humanism Dr. Paul Kurtz......................17Introduction: The Ethical Infrastructure of Every Society.....................23One. Dignity and Equality.....................................................33Two. Respect Life and Property................................................45Three. Tolerance: The Empathy Principle.......................................65Four. Sharing.................................................................71Five. No Domination, No Exploitation..........................................79Six. No Superstition..........................................................85Seven. Conservation...........................................................119Eight. Violence, War, and Peace...............................................135Nine. Democracy...............................................................163Ten. Education................................................................193Eleven. Morality in Everday Life..............................................199Conclusion: For a Better and More Moral Future................................205Annex: Comparative Moral Commandments.........................................210Notes.........................................................................213Appendix: Main Humanist and Ethical Organizations.............................249Books Cited or Recommended....................................................253Index.........................................................................285About The Author..............................................................299

Chapter One

Dignity and Equality

First Humanist Principle: Proclaim the Natural Dignity and Inherent Equality Of All Human Beings.

Equal and exact justice to all men, of whatever state or persuasion, religious or political; peace, commerce, and honest friendship with all nations- ... freedom of religion; freedom of the press; freedom of person under the protection of the habeas corpus; and trial by juries impartially selected-these principles form the bright constellation which has gone before us and guided our steps through an age of revolution and reformation. -Thomas Jefferson (1743-1826), third US president However little it may often appear to be true, the social world is governed in the long run by certain moral principles on which the people at large believe. The only moral principle which has ever made the growth of an advanced civilization possible was the principle of individual freedom, which means that the individual is guided in his decisions by rules of just conduct and not by specific commands. -Friedrich A. Hayek (1899-1992) I think that on balance the moral influence of religion has been awful. With or without religion, good people can behave well and bad people can do evil; but for good people to do evil-that takes religion. -Steven Weinberg, Nobel laureate, physics

The first humanist rule deals with basic human dignity. It is the most important; all the other rules are derived from this first one. Respect for human dignity is the fundamental principle that should govern relations between individuals and among nations. Every human being, irrespective of culture, nationality, birth, property, race, sex, or creed, has a natural right to personal dignity, including the right to be free of ill treatment, brutality, and cruelty. As French statesman Lazare Carnot (1753-1823) once advanced, we should strive to "elevate to human dignity all members of humankind."

In practice, this means we should treat every human being with dignity, as we as individuals would like to be treated with dignity by others. This also means that we should never treat human beings as tools, objects, or instruments, but always as autonomous entities endowed with inalienable and inherent rights. This need to treat all human beings with dignity is analogous to the famous "golden rule" of universal morality. According to the fundamental reciprocity principle, each one of us should attempt to treat others as we would have others treat us. The corollary is also true: we should not treat others as we would not like to be treated by them.

Humanist Morality

Morality is about what is and is not acceptable in social and individual behavior. One's morality is heavily influenced by one's perception of future uncertainty and the desire to remove as much of this uncertainty as possible. Morality is a social necessity. In a world of anarchy and moral decay, no individual's life, family, and property are secure. Social disintegration and economic regression follow. In these circumstances, what is socially wrong is what hurts the common good. What is socially right is what enhances the common good. For practical, ethical decision making, what is individually wrong is what diminishes the common good, and what is individually right is what enhances the common good. Because we are social animals, human morality is about how we treat others. Pretending to be moral while treating others badly is sheer hypocrisy.

Most religions have a core moral code that teaches kindness toward other human beings, along with the promise of eternal life. The problem comes from the fact that religions rarely extend this goodness to people who oppose their faith-based certainties. Moreover, they usually have two or three sets of contradictory moral principles to choose from, depending upon their immediate interests and circumstances.

How can we aspire to a nonsuperstitious and nonmystical guide to moral living? The answer lies in a global, rational, and modern humanism that emphasizes the intrinsic value of human life and establishes human morality outside of a religious framework. Such a morality rejects the supernatural, mystical, and transcendental claims made by traditional religions in favor of rational and scientific explanations of the laws of the Universe and of the meaning of life. Humanist morality establishes a set of ethical rules of conduct that are designed to promote the greatest individual good and the greatest social good for the advancement and progress of humanity as a whole, with no reference at all to supernatural entities.

How to give purpose to one's life, how to treat others, and how to live in a civilized society are questions that assume a moral content, which implies that a few essential principles of what is right and what is wrong are needed to guide personal and social behavior.

There are of course some universal principles that belong to common sense. For example, it is wrong to kill other persons or to steal from them. But what does equality between people mean in practice? What is the meaning of solidarity among humans? What does it mean to have personal freedom? Can public morality-that is the morality of persons in power-be different from ordinary morality? Does the moral code change for a person who attains social or political power?

The Humanist Principle of Equality Between Men and Women

In many cultures, women do not have the same individual, social, and economic rights as...

Details zur Ausgabe

• Verlag: Prometheus Books
• Erscheinungsdatum: 2010
• Sprache: Englisch
• ISBN 10: 1616141727
• ISBN 13: 9781616141721
• Einband: Gebundene Ausgabe
• Anzahl der Seiten: 300
• Kontakt zum Hersteller: Nicht verfügbar
• Verantwortliche Person: Simon and Schuster Netherlands BV; info@simonandschuster.nl; ; Herculesplein 96; Utrecht; 3584 AA; Niederlande