Sometimes, before we care about other people or love them, we must learn to tolerate them. This is only a first step, at level one of ethical attainment/development. Socially and culturally, tolerance ... Read More about Tolerating – Being Civil
Week 06: Avoiding Harm, or Evil
Seeking and Finding Common Ground
Acknowledging the humanity of others leads us onto common ground. Homo sapiens is a social species with a capacity for fellow feeling. However, we are also a species with tribal inclinations, born of ... Read More about Seeking and Finding Common Ground
Being Fair
Considering the interests of others, not merely our own interests, and acting on that consideration, is an early step toward justice, commonly called being fair. Man was born free; but everywhere ... Read More about Being Fair
Restraining Self
Not doing ill is a first step toward doing good. Self-restraint is the avoidance of harmful actions, as expressed by "thou shalt not kill." Strict pacifists are committed to following this rule to ... Read More about Restraining Self
Acknowledging the Humanity of Others
To be ethical, we must first acknowledge that other people are human, as we are. This is the “thinking” component of ahimsa. The fundamental building block of interpersonal relationships is the ... Read More about Acknowledging the Humanity of Others
Being Non-malevolent
The emotional component of non-harm (ahimsa) is non-malevolence. Long before we get to Love, we may have to rid ourselves of any malevolent feelings. These are unhealthy emotional states ... Read More about Being Non-malevolent
Avoiding Harm
The first of four levels of ethical development is the do-no-harm, or “thou shalt not” stage. We come to the first fleshing out of our relationships with others. As in medicine, the first rule is to ... Read More about Avoiding Harm