How do I decide what is just and fair?
- Treat Others as You Want to Be Treated: While myths have traditionally provided human beings with rules for right and wrong, as handed down by the Gods, this sociological function of myth has been largely replaced by the secular legal system in the modern world. This is certainly how I prefer things to be, as I believe in the ability of man to judge right from wrong without needing ancient scriptures. And yet, the Golden Rule of religion, "Treat others as you want to be treated," is still in my opinion the most succinct description we have for our universal human morality. Empathy is the key. We all have the ability to imagine what it would be like to feel pain, to be victimized, to experience oppression, and we all have the ability to create a society that protects people from these experiences. And it starts with our own actions.
- And while it is a given that we will base our human society on the obvious universal principles that have been passed down through the ages (don't steal, don't lie, don't kill people), I also believe in maintaining an adaptive system that is responsive to our evolving world that periodically presents us with new and unexpected moral challenges (things like the environment, technological advances, the changing world order).
