Morality and Principles

As the comments in recent posts have exposed, my ideas on public vs. private virtue are incomplete. It is, after all, why I started this blog. I do want to attempt some clarification.

My view is that by and large our society's morality is stuck in a consequentialist philosophical worldview where, put simply, "the ends justify the means."

In government, this shows up in policies that allow the infringement of civil liberties and individual rights in the name of a greater good, justifying invasion of privacy, theft of property, brutish law enforcement, and even torture. See President 43. And it also shows up in corrupt politicians whose fervent desire to advance their beliefs open them to bribery and all sorts of shenanigans. See Huey Long.

In business, the end game is profit, so consequentialism drifts all too easily into either Machiavellian cunning, or outright fraud. Competition is perhaps the chief defining human characteristic (see Cain & Abel), so, unfortunate as it might be, any society that attempts to limit or eliminate competition will fail. Yet everyone hates being on the losing end of competition, so cheating is a universal temptation. When a society embraces "if you ain't cheating, you ain't trying" and "greed is good," it is little wonder we find ourselves with Enron, Bernie Madoff, Blackwater, too big to fail financial institutions, and all their assorted lobbying groups.

I am not advocating pushing society towards my, or any one else's, vision of a "Christian" nation, hence the recent posts. Still, humans both individually and collectively require and seek structure and a legal/moral framework. I am advocating moving from the present cultural acceptance of pragmatism and turning to a cultural embrace of principle and yes, virtue.

People should be asking if our politician are acting with virtue, and if their policies are grounding in just principles. There is a vocal group that certainly speaks loudly about "religious" values, but it is used all too often as a wedge in a culture war and rarely for the right principles. The fact is, truth is truth, and whether you use the language of Jesus and scriptures or the language of Greek or more recent secular philosophers, if they are in agreement, then everyone wins.

The purpose of life, according to Aristotle, and echoed by Jesus and the the New Testament writers (see James and Paul in his letter to the Ephesians) is to know, be, and do good. While Christians would certainly be quick to add the roles of faith and grace, Christ's call to match intent and action remain.

Maybe I would like Christian politicians to quote more Aristotle than Jesus, but what I really want is for people of all religions and no religion to embrace public and private discussion of morality, truth, and virtue. I see virtue ethics as a "politically correct" way in which to begin talking about character, morality, and actions as a society, at dinner parties, in media, in schools and universities, and yes, in politics. I am not looking for government leaders to make people more virtuous, but looking for people to be more concerned about making themselves, their children, and their leaders more disciplined in matters of principle and virtue.