A Possibly Rational Morality

Utilitarianism is the school of morality in which the goal is to maximize happiness and minimize suffering in as many people as possible; in everything but name, it is one of the four precepts I cited as my greater moral values. It is different from hedonism in that it allows for temporary discomfort for the sake of long-term happiness. I propose that utilitarianism and utilitarianism alone is the only moral doctrine that can be derived entirely from reason. Respect for life, truth and enlightenment cannot be justified empirically. Each claims self-existent or divinely drafted status inconsistent with a materialist universe.

The basis for utilitarianism is in personal experience of suffering and happiness and the extrapolation that others experience them as well. Some say that experience is no basis for rationality, that quantifiable observation is the base unit of logic. I would argue, however, that it is reasonable to assume that the most basic of experiences can be generalized across living beings, that this has a basis in psychological and biological homology. Basic indeed to our existence is the dichotomy of happiness and suffering. While people may find different things enjoyable or miserable, some even enjoying physical pain or shunning chocolate, the dichotomy itself is consistent.

This is not an exaltation of utility above other virtues. My own moral perspective weights the four virtues of Ecstasy, Evolution, Truth and Life equally; here I simply admit that there is not a rational basis for it. I happen to believe in a purposeful metaverse and this belief comes from intuition rather than logic or observation. If such faith is compromised, however, or if my beliefs are otherwise altered, it is good to know that there is a moral philosophy that I can retreat to without nagging doubts as to its basis in reason.

BSG Goes Crazy

I have just finished the second season of Battlestar Galactica.  What.  The.  Fuck.  Over the course of the last two episodes they colonized a new, crappy planet for a year and got conquered by the newly atheist cylons.  Gaius "I-see-dead-cylons" Baltar is president of the colonies, and Laura Roslin is a schoolteacher again.  Starbuck's long hair does not look good at all.  The hair and the frumpy sweatshirt make her look like trailer trash--which all the humans have become.  After a whole year they are living in tents.  Not even shanties or huts.  Tents.  Oh, and Apollo got quite fat over the course of the year.

Update:  you were right, Opheliac.  BSG does have Mormon influence, as one of the main creators of the original '78 series was Mormon.  Also, I am starting to like the direction the show has taken, oddly enough.  I like that they go where the story takes them rather than planning everything ahead.  It is random at times, but it can actually make for more subtle character and thematic exploration than might be possible with more structure.

The Arbitrariness of Morality

I have been thinking recently about my moral philosophy, specifically that I should have one.  I do not believe there is an empirically objective morality; even morality contrived by a hypothetical creator god has questionable objective value. Individuals create quasi-unique moralities from their intuition and interaction with cultural mores.  One hopes that moral intuitions tap into something universally real, but it is difficult to distinguish intuition from delusion.  Like all philosophical beliefs, moralities should be developed partially through discourse in order to dampen the effects of insane and evil individuals. I am, however, skeptical about morality by cultural consensus, since I find many cultural moralities abhorrent.  It is an issue with no easy solution.

I have refined my moral impulses and musings into four primary values. These are life, ecstasy, truth, and evolution. Life is self-explanatory. The ecstasy category is a variant the pleasure principle--it consists of decreasing the suffering and increasing the happiness of oneself and others.   Truth includes honesty, rationality and empiricism. Evolution is development and increasing enlightenment. It contains such values as responsibility, liberty, knowledge and wisdom.