Robert E. Podolsky
When it comes to people interacting with people…
here is a back-to-reality read by Robert E. Podolsky, MS, FLOURISH! An Alternative to government and Other Hierarchies.
“As most people are aware, ethics are the means by which we decide what actions are permissible and what actions are not. What is less known is the fact that every ethic consists of two parts:
1. A value that defines what it is that we want more of in our lives, . . . and
2. A belief, or system of beliefs, that describes what actions we are to take to obtain more of the value that we seek.
Still less often recognized is the fact that an ethic may be valid or invalid. Valid ethics produce the desired results — an increase in the values sought. Invalid ethics produce the opposite effect — a lessening of that which is sought or desired. . . . Consider an ethic that chooses creativity and its logical equivalents as the values to be maximized. Such resources as love, awareness, objective truth, and personal evolution may be considered as logical equivalents of creativity, because whenever one of these resources is increased they are all increased, and vice versa. . . . All prosperity, and ultimately all happiness, derives from someone’s creativity. The belief system that empowers this ethic begins with the notion that an act is good if it increases creativity or any of its logical equivalents for at least one person without limiting or diminishing creativity for anyone”
In his book…
Podolsky presents in detail his solution to the practical problem of how we can achieve an ethical society in the broad sense that he has defined in the above quotation (or perhaps even bootstrap to a better solution). His technical term for this process is "Holomats of Octologues", which means networks of discussion groups consisting of ideally eight people (Octologues) with a variety of skills and a core interest, project, or goal around which they are aligned. Podolsky gives clear guidelines for how interactions best proceed in order to achieve full agreement in a motivated small group followed by effective action, achievement, and fulfillment. Systematic networking (Holomats) allows many small groups to expand their effectiveness by cooperatively managing large and complex ventures and enterprises for the benefit of themselves and society. (His book is available in electronic format from Amazon.com.)