If the laws of the universe can be seen in all its manifestations, then
extended metaphor - an act of seeing the qualities of one part of the
universe
as reflected in another - is an act of seeing also the laws of the
universe as
they are embodied in both. As such it is a path to fathoming laws of
the
universe, and likewise a path to transcendental wisdom. Wisdom that not
only
sees the laws of the universe but also their manifestation; and sees
truth
embodied in different parts of the universe, with the essence revealed
in both
and through comparison and understanding made real.
It is said that beauty is impractical. It becomes practical when people
choose
to use the real, practical mechanism of their minds and their actions
to make
it part of daily, practical reality in which they and the rest of the
world
exist. The ability of man to shape the reality of his life - and that
of the
part of the world as he affects it with his actions - means that a
value held
by the man can become part of the reality of the world through his
actions to
make it so. It is by doing this - using mind and action to make beauty
part of
the daily reality - that beauty becomes not only realistic, but
inextricable
part of reality of the world.
Liberty - meaningful liberty, meaning freedom of thought and freedom of
inspiration and freedom of study and freedom of feeling and freedom of
experience - is precondition for any morality that can mean anything. A
choice
based in fear of the law or in fear of social sanction or family
ostracism is
not a moral choice but a self-interested choice. A moral choice is a
choice
based on deliberate decision to do what is right; which decision can
only be
made within the framework of true and meaningful liberty. An attempt to
impose
morality on a population, as in Iran or the Soviet Union, does not
result in
an ethical population; it results in a venal, corrupt, malevolent
population.
A population of snitches and tattle-talers and busybodies who go around
attacking anyone who disagrees with the party line and keep everyone
within a
straitjacket of misery. This is not morality; this is venality and
corruption
of mind, heart and soul; and these and related abominations created in
the
name of morality not only fail to instill ethics or principle but in
fact
degrade humanity to a level of venal, malicious snitches. The only
context
within which ethics can live is the context of liberty; where man is
free to
make choices not out of fear of consequence - which choices are not
moral in
any meaningful way but rather choices based in self-interest - but
simply
because the choices he makes are the right thing to do. Which is the
only
definition of ethics and principle that mean anything.
For that is required liberty - liberty from coercion consumer,
governmental,
communitarian, of media and academia, or of the Christian Coalition.
The only
moral choice, I repeat, is one based on deliberate choice to do what is
right -
and that means free choice. Any attempt to legislate morality destroys
any true
morality that can exist in the heart of the human being, and turns
population
into corrupt, venal, malicious snitches and busybodies and
tattle-talers who go
around re****ting everyone who exhibits meaningful freedom. That does
not result
in moral population; it results in malicious and venal and nasty
population. It
is therefore only within the context of liberty - and that means
meaningful
liberty - that people can make choices that are truly ethical: Choices
based in
deliberate decision to do what is right rather than in attempt to avoid
bad
artificial consequences assigned to one set of actions or garner good
ones
assigned to another. Therefore the only context for true morality is
one of
meaningful liberty; and any attempt to impose morality by law or by
church
edict or by media coercion or by communitarian oppression is in fact
negation
of ethics, a degradation in moral quality of the population, and denial
of
precondition necessary for true - freely chosen and deliberately
pursued -
ethical and moral action.
The liberty is further a precondition for these two twin virtues:
Knowledge and
responsibility. It is not possible to have responsible action without
wisdom
and knowledge - without knowing the full range of consequences of one's
actions
and, knowing that full range of consequences, being able to act in a
manner
that's informed, and that therefore has a chance of being responsible.
It is
not possible to have responsibility without wisdom and knowledge, for
when one
lacks such things one does not know the consequences of one's actions
and thus
cannot act in a calculated fa****on that computes the good results,
computes the
bad results, and chooses to act in a responsible manner - a manner
designed to
maximize the first and minimize the last. The responsibility agenda can
therefore not exist within the context of wisdom and knowledge; for any
action
that dares to brand itself responsible must first be informed -
informed by
knowledge of what are good consequences; knowledge of what are bad
consequences; ability to anticipate both, and therefore make a
responsible
choice.
It is easy to show that responsibility is prerequisite further for
ethical
action. It is only when one takes responsibility for one's actions and
computes
them properly and proceeds in an informed and deliberate manner that
one has a
chance of acting ethically - acting in a way that is based on
deliberate choice
to do what is right and good. An uninformed and irresponsible action
has no
chance of being ethical, because one does not know the consequences of
his
actions as they affect the world and the next man. Therefore
responsibility -
and its prerequisite knowledge and wisdom - are a prerequisite for
morality.
Knowledge and wisdom, on their part, can only exist within the context
of
freedom. It is only by being open to worldviews, systems of wisdom,
discoveries
and lifestyles outside of one's own that one can truly acquire true
wisdom and
understanding of the world and its inhabitants. That requires this:
Freedom of
information and freedom of thought and freedom of experience. An
ideological
indoctrination is not a way to transmit wisdom or knowledge; it's a way
to
transmit an ideology. A communitarian indoctrination is not a way to
transmit
wisdom or knowledge; it's a way to perpetuate a lifestyle - one out of
many
designed in the history of the world. It is only within the context of
freedom
of information, freedom of inspiration, freedom of examination and
exploration,
and of course through freedom of experience - including freedom of
experiencing
lifestyles and mindsets different from ones of the school and home and
community - that true wisdom and knowledge can be gathered. Which means
this:
That freedom is prerequisite for wisdom and knowledge
That wisdom and knowledge is prerequisite for responsibility
And that responsibility is a prerequisite for ethics.
By transitive logic,
Freedom is a prerequisite for ethics (as was previously shown
separately).
All of which truths are embodied in principles guiding America's
government
system, and of which the population must be reminded from time to time
lest
they, being oblivious of these truths, attempt to institute tyranny
under any other name.
Ilya Shambat
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