Oakland Community College Royal Oak

Natural Ethics The Nature of Ethics

Nolan Pitler

Ethics Professor Droba 12 December 201

Natural Ethics !ohn "tuart #ill defined indi$idualism in his essay% &On 'iberty& as a conce(t that (ertained to the de$elo(ment of the (erson them)self *ithout the *ill of society+ ,umanity learns from e-(erience and because of this% grou(s ha$e significant (o*er o$er normati$e actions+ .hat is considered to be culturally acce(table or morally correct is largely controlled by this communal (o*er)base% *hich *eakens the indi$idual&s (osition of control o$er their o*n life+ .hat becomes troubling is *hen a grou( determines e$ery as(ect of a (ersons& life% eradicating the allo*ance of (erson)hood in its& entirety+ #ill *rites% He who lets the world, or his own portion of it, choose his plan of life for him, has no need of any other faculty than the ape-like one of imitation. He who chooses his plan for himself, employs all his faculties.1. .hile #ill establishes the im(ortance of the indi$idual% the need of a community has e/ual $alue and should not be ignored+ ,umans are not only e-(erience based creatures% but social as *ell and (ursue relationshi(s *ith others0 this is not a matter of culture% but rather one of nature+ The relationshi(s bet*een indi$iduals is itself the community and it is from this social structure that (eo(le are able to beha$e *ithin a natural en$ironment% thus the (erson cannot be too far)remo$ed from the community% or else the coo(erati$e element *ill diminish+ ,o* might then% may the balance of this relationshi( be (rotected1 The element of la* (rotects indi$iduals against illegal actions% ho*e$er it does not ha$e the ability to determine moral reasoning+ .hich is to say that the la* may declare that murder is illegal but may not necessarily ascertain the reason *hy+ 'a*s are inca(able of maintaining this balance and it becomes necessary that indi$iduals ha$e a moral feeling to*ards their community+ #ill is correct in establishing that the indi$idual must be (rotected from the $iolence of society 2 further that the non)consent of *ill to*ards% &general good& may lead to dangerous tyrannies as
1 "ee On Liberty 314567% cha(ter 1)

*ell% ho*e$er he also took careful note that there must be a balance% There is a limit to the legitimate interference of collecti e opinion with indi idual independence! and to find that limit, and maintain it against encroachment, is as indispensable to a good condition of human affairs, as protection against political despotism.2. #oral reasoning hel(s define these balances and recogni8es the im(ortance of maintaining the indi$idual)communal relationshi(% thus it becomes im(erati$e that the origin of ethics is understood so that it may (lay the correct role in society+ The relationshi( bet*een ethics and the (erson has a natural element to its& core+ 9lthough there are cultural influences u(on the moral reasoning of ethics% the absolute origin to the sub:ect does e-ist and grants (ertinence to*ards social structures+ ;t could be stated that the desire for indi$iduals to besto* acts of kindness or com(assion is e$idence that *e are naturally inclined to*ards this conce(t% ho*e$er this may allo* a theory of reciprocity+ This *ould im(ly that indi$iduals are not moti$ated by altruistic intentions% but rather are acting (urely for self)interests0 to gi$e is to recei$e+ Peo(le therefore *ould be dis)inclined to hel( *hen nothing is reci(rocated 2 be it material or emoti$e% but this theory seems to lea$e out the ability for the (erson to ha$e any form of altruistic intentions+ ;t reduces acts of kindness and com(assion to a more or less economic barter of material (ossessions or emotions+ <et% social)norms cannot be denied% it is e$ident *ithin e$eryday society that the normati$e actions steer grou(s and that through self)interest there could become (robable cause for the e-tension of% &kind& acts+ Through the theory of reci(rocity% altruism becomes $oided 2 ho*e$er there is a natural e-istence to this ideal and if it is acce(ted that kindness and compassion is rele$ant *ithin society% then they are the familiar re(resentations of the original altruistic act+ The original altruistic act is found at the $ery beginning of life and is the relationshi( bet*een a mother and her ne*born baby+ #aterialistically there are no foreseeable gains for the mother to be had% nor is the child ca(able of im(ro$ing the mother&s /uality of life+ ,a$ing a child creates a disru(tion of
2 "ee On Liberty "#$%&' The Eunice =ennedy "hri$er National ;nstitute of Child ,ealth and ,uman De$elo(ment has been conducting a research on the relationshi(s bet*een (arents and children% the research sho*cases clear cases of care by the mothers+ >urther% it establishes the im(ortance of the early stages of de$elo(ment for babies+

normati$e adult life)style% such to the (oint that is considered damaging to*ards an indi$idual&s ability to sur$i$e+ <et% the mother does *hat she can to nurture and safeguard this hel(less baby 2 *ithout any form of reci(rocation+ ;n terms of nature% the desire to (rocreate is to continue the e-istence of a s(ecies% ho*e$er this conce(t is not rele$ant *ithin the relationshi( bet*een a mother and her child0 humanity does not ha$e a hi$e)mind concern+ 9lthough the en$ironmental conditions of a society may change the beha$ior of a mother to her child% the element of% &caring&% e-ists 2 it is natural+ This early form of altruism is $ital to the de$elo(ment of the child and instills lessons of kindness and com(assion *ithout e-(ectation of returned gains0 that *ithin itself% the $alue of a kind act is the gain+ .hat becomes of the relationshi( bet*een the mother and her child is natural ethics% and thus all relationshi(s to follo* are merely acting *ithin corres(ondence *ith this origin+ This e-tension of natural ethics to others is follo*ed in a form of familiarity0 indi$iduals are often most comfortable around those that resemble them+ .hat is familiar is considered safer and it becomes blatantly clear *hen the father arri$es into this de$elo(ing family unit% for he is genetically linked to the baby+ The father% :ust as the mother% must care for the child and (ro$ide assistance in his or her u(bringing% as the mother is by biological condition forced to be the (rimary caretaker for the first fe* years+ Relationshi(s of the family are largely e-(anded u(on by this element of natural ethics and there becomes necessary roles to be filled by both the mother and the father in order to ensure that child sur$i$es+ The family unit e-(anded into an e-tensi$e grou(% *ith many members being familiar *ith one another+ Their acti$ities% life)styles and and their *ell)being *ere im(ortant factors in the li$es of this family)community and e$entually customs?la*s *ere brought in to maintain these relationshi(s+ Out of these e-tensi$e family structures comes forth the tribe% a traditional society *ith customs that maintain relationshi(s and ensure sur$i$al% de(ending on their en$ironment+ Commonly% the rules of custom that *ere found in traditional societies re$ol$ed around ensuring an acti$e community and dis(ute resolutions+ .ith the tribes in Ne* @uinea% if there *as a dis(ute% the resolution *ould not be merely

aimed at the t*o indi$iduals% but rather directed to*ards the families themsel$es% as *hat one family member *ould do *as (artial to the reaction of his or her grou(+ There *ere often material com(ensations as an effort of a(ology and sorro* for the circumstance% but the real resolution had to be an emotionally acce(ted one as *ell+ The (ur(ose *as largely to maintain (eace *ithin the society so that the community may continue to co)e-ist *ith one another+ ,o*e$er% these resolutions did not al*ays *ork and if the dis(ute could not be handled% it *ould then de$ol$e into a blood feud bet*een families+ ;n 9nglo)"a-on England this became a common (roblem *here families *ould create blood feuds that could last for decades and in res(onse to this% the &*er)gild&% or &man)(rice& *as im(osed as a form of (ayment that one could make to a$oid tribal conflictA These tribes or e-tended families *ere im(ortant to the indi$iduals in$ol$ed and though these dis(utes *ere common% there *as a general desire to enforce (eace so that the community could continue to sur$i$e and co)e-ist+ This familiarity bet*een the relationshi( of the indi$idual to the community is a com(arati$e $ie* to the mother and child0 there becomes a desire% des(ite indi$idual gain% to (ursue natural ethics+ Natural ethics establishes that the relationshi(s bet*een indi$iduals% families and communities matter and should not be ignored+ Remo$ing the community *ould disru(t the ability for indi$iduals to sociali8e and come to agreement on common concerns% further it disru(ts the ability to create resolutions to dis(utes+ The (roblem that occurs *hen alienating local resolutions is that there becomes the o$erhead of la*% *hich cares not about (otential conditions that may be rele$ant to the community+ .hat is no* being obser$ed is the de$elo(ment of a stranger society% Bthat when something resembling barter does occur in stateless societies it is almost always between strangers, people who would otherwise be enemies.C6+ #ost transactions of goods or ser$ices are done *ith strangers% those *ho do not kno* another (erson&s circumstance or *elfare and as such% cannot conduct business on a
A The Dni$ersity of 9berdeen (resented a *ork on Eeo*ulf and *ithin this the (roblem of blood feuds are described% ho*e$er for further reading ; *ould suggest The (ear #)))! *hat Life *as Like at the Turn of the +irst ,illennium 320007 by Robert 'acey and Danny Dan8iger+ The book e-cellently sho*cases elements of early English Common 'a*+ 6 "ee Toward an -nthropological Theory of .alue 320017 by Da$id @raeber

(ersonal le$el+ This has been caused by the dis(lacement of labor5 *hich has remo$ed local e-change (o*er% *hich is that the ability of the community to (ro$ide commerce for itself+ 9s such the (urchases of a community ha$e been mo$ed to*ards a centrali8ed commercial district rather than (artial to the society itself+ >urther the decline of religionF has led to less communal acti$ity and ultimately the education of morality has been solely left to the families+ 9dditionally the education system has become geared to*ards :ob)creation and careers rather than the traditional liberal arts40 *hich *ould build critical thinking and a((ro(riate classes that *ould encom(ass ethics+ ;f human beings are social creatures and are ada(ti$e to social)norms% it is sadly not sur(rising that natural ethics is being re(laced *ith a form of business ethics. 9 ruthless doctrine that (resents efficiency and (rofits abo$e all% is becoming the ethics of this current age% and further% it is not :ust *ithin the business *orld% it is being ada(ted *ith the families as *ell+ The en$ironment of the society is corru(ting the natural element of kindness and com(assion *ithin the family unit and *ithin the community 2 this is further e$idenced by the e-treme rise in di$orce ratesG leading to the disru(tion of society+ 9lthough there are reasonable causes for di$orce% the high rates resonate the (ursuits of e-treme indi$idualism 2 the lack of care for the effects it has on the society itself+ 9 society of absolute indi iduals cannot sur$i$e% for they are unable to de$elo( lasting relationshi(s *ith others% their understanding of other indi$iduals is (urely transactory% lacking emoti$e need or care0 a business relationshi(+ "uch a community *ill not be able to com(rehend re(resentation% for this *ould re/uire a semblance of social beha$ior and a fostering of relationshi(s+ .hen the community is no longer held acti$e by indi$iduals% their $oices are no longer heard and they may become the ob:ect of tyranny 2 as their ability to be re(resented is lost by their o*n consent+ To alienate one&s self from the (roblems of the *hole is to consent to authoritarianism% to
5 The D+"+ De(artment of 'abor stated that 5+1# *orkers that held a :ob for three years *ere dis(laced during 200G)2011% 65H *ere re)em(loyed by 2010+ ;t should be noted that a little o$er A0H of the re)em(loyed made similar or higher *ages than before% *hich means more than half found less)(aying :obs+ #ost of these :obs *ere manufacturing+ F 9ccording to the @allu( (oll% roughly F0)F6H of 9mericans feel that religion is losing influence *ithin the nation+ This is a considerable number *hen *e reali8e *here ethics is largely taught+ 4 9ccording to the article% of the 212 liberal arts colleges in 1GG0% only 1 0 remain in their traditional form+ The language stated by the article on traditional s(eaks $olumes and should be considered+ G The findings sho* that almost half of all marriages are e-(ected to end in di$orce+

allo* it absolute (o*er o$er the society and to discern *ithout fear of con$iction by the (eo(le% untold de$astation of tyrannical (o*er+ Thus it must be recogni8ed that though the indi$idual is (rotected by la*% *ithout an acti$e community% liberty cannot e-ist and *ithout natural ethics 2 society cannot be free+

Eibliogra(hy

1+#ill% !ohn "tuart 314567+ On Liberty Peo(les& Edition (+ A 2 #ill% !ohn "tuart 314567+ On Liberty Peo(les& Edition (+ Child and >amily Research 3Ongoing7+ ,others and /nfants -round the *orld htt(I??***+cfr+nichd+nih+go$?re(ort1+html A Diamond% !ared 320127+ The *orld 0ntil (esterday Ne* @uinea Com(ensation (+ 4F)G0 6 'ynch% ,elen and Dunbar% "usan 31GG67+ 1eowulf for 1eginners Elood >euds htt(I??***+abdn+ac+uk?sll?disci(lines?english?beo*ulf?mlink+htm 5 @raeber% Da$id 320017+ Toward an -nthropological Theory of .alue! The +alse 2oin of our 3reams+ (+ 16A F Eureau of 'abor "tatistics% D+"+ De(artment of 'abor 320127 *orker 3isplacement 4))5-4)## htt(I??***+bls+go$?ne*s+release?(df?dis(+(df 4 Ne*(ort% >rank 3201 7+ @allu( Polls ,ost -mericans 6ay 7eligion /s Losing /nfluence in 0.6. htt(I??***+gallu(+com?(oll?15240 ?americans)say)religion)losing)influence+as(G ,enion% 9ndy and Eald*in% Roger 320127 9re 'iberal 9rts Colleges Disa((earing1 htt(I??msutoday+msu+edu?ne*s?2012?are)liberal)arts)colleges)disa((earing? 10 Ero*n% "usan '+ and 'in% ;)>en 3200G7 3i orce in ,iddle and Later Life-style htt(I??***+bgsu+edu?do*nloads?cas?fileGA1F +(df