Charles R. Lightner

Having at least a schematic framework for the topics to be discussed in The Ethic of Restraint and The Ethic of Repair, I’ve moved on to study of some of the issues that come up in the space between those two i.e. in The Ethic of Respect. The Ethic of Respect deals with the ideas that have been previously labelled the Golden Rule and the Platinum Rule. These are the cases in which purpo...

The civil and criminal laws that govern individual behavior vary somewhat from country to country. In general, though, the sorts of behaviors that are subject to civil sanction in one place are similar to those in others, and the actions that are crimes in one place are typically crimes in another. Clearly, there are exceptions, but in a broad sense, this is true. When we think about ...

In prior posts I’ve noted some of the many instances where we find a culture that defines responsibilities among individuals differently depending on the relationship between or among them. There are two reasons to be emphasize that point. First, those who hold that the ethical standard we should aspire to is to “Love your neighbor as yourself” argue that it is to be understood in a u...

In my post of August 20, 2017, I discussed Harry Gensler’s proposal that the ideas that are termed the Golden Rule and the Silver Rule are logically identical. I have written in several posts that I believe that analysis (which others also propose) is incorrect. Here I want to take a different approach to that argument. I’ll quote here again Gensler’s proposal: "10.4 Both are eq...

Aristotle, in The Nicomachean Ethics, proposes several ideas that are significant to the structure of the ethical system we are pursuing. And David Ross, in his Introduction to and notes to the Oxford World Classics edition of that work, adds very helpful analysis. Much of Aristotle’s work reflects his particular interest in only one class of people. Ross states that “his (Aristotle’s...

I’ve written previously on the issue, and the problem, of the Golden Rule, as typically stated, having a self-referential standard of proper behavior. It makes a person’s own desire and sense of the right and good, the standard against which he judges his own actions toward others. The risks of that are clear and have been apparent to those who have seriously considered the actual app...

I’ve suggested that the formula found in most religions, cultures and philosophies that holds that, in the words of Hillel “That which is hateful to you, do not do to your fellow” should be viewed as a fundamental Ethic of Restraint. It is incorrect to view it as a “negative” formulation of the Golden Rule idea. While it is stated in terms of avoiding unwanted behavior, that avoidance...

Much of human life is repetition. Our days tend to acquire patterns determined by our life situation. When we are young, in grammar school for instance, our days will have a different shape and pattern than will be the case when we are teenagers. When we are college students our days will be different from those after our graduation. Our married lives before the arrival of children will ...

The first element in The Ethic of Repair is reflection. Reflection is the process through which we examine our behavior and identify the ways in which we have fallen short; the ways in which we have failed to act in accordance with the Ethics of Restraint and Respect. Identifying our shortcomings is, itself, a positive and powerful practice. But to accomplish repair, more is needed. ...