ow to tell the Good Individual from the Bad one.

Should you think about your duty, or about the consequences of your actions? Or should you concentrate on becoming a good person?

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thinkdr
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Joined: Mon May 09, 2022 1:16 am

ow to tell the Good Individual from the Bad one.

Post by thinkdr »

First, some relevant preliminaries: The following discussion supplies supplementary material for my latest document, which itself is an upgrade over previous versions of my Ethical Theory findings.
This improvement could be labeled Ethics 2.0. Its title is THE STRUCTURE OF ETHICS. This new, fresh approach to Ethical Theory I am offering is a synthesis of concepts taken from at least a dozen ancient and contemporary philosophers …yet it is not a history of ideas, though it does mention Sidgwick, and many others in its bibliography and references.
This paper is not just theory; it has lots of applications. So dive in. Happy reading!!! Here is a safe-to-oppen link
http://www.myqol.com/wadeharvey/PDFs/TH ... ETHICS.pdf

Since I wrote the paper to which I offer this link so that you may peruse it free-of-charge . [There is also a Kindle version of it published…], I have developed several insights that improve upon it, and I will be sharing with you those additional upgrades. What follows is one of those:

PART ONE. In a person of good character you will recognize these traits, these properties – or some combination or subset of them:
Authenticity, Transparency of motives, , Honesty, Sincerity, Humility, Morality, Integrity, Readiness to be helpful, to be of service, Readiness to take on some responsibility, and be held accountable for the performance of it, Affability, Good will, being considerate, good-mannered and courteous, having an attitude of gratitude for all that goes right in life, etc., etc.
Furthermore, such a person, if he has carefully studied my booklet linked to above, the Structure document, he or she will want to subscribe to what Dr. R. S. Hartman called “an Obligatory Norm,” They will want to do this because they realize it is so valuable, so beneficial for themselves and others. For instance, it could be phrased: "I want to devote myself to Goodness, and to be a role model, to set a good example of how to treat others decently. This will be one of my main moral principles."

[If you are a teacher or instructor, offer a class in Ethics; include the above ideas in your curriculum.] All of us, though, can be mentors or tutors. When the ideas are exposed to those who are still in their ‘formative years,’ they may help sensitize their conscience by transmitting to them the concepts in that Structure paper, once we understand them well ourselves. I trust I am not being too naïve when I suggest one can influence those who are younger than us if we are skillful enough. I agree with Socrates that many people (including those who do not engage in evil thoughts and evil conduct) are ignorant of what it really means to be good, to be a good person of good character. We will want to care (for others) when we appreciate how valuable they are! We will notice and detect signs of badness - in a kid or in an adult – at an early stage, and perhaps then steer the kid in a direction to get help, or therapy. And we certainly will not encourage, nor vote for, one who has a bad character.

HOW TO RECOGNIZE THE BAD CHARACTER

PART TWO. Some who have bad characters are phonies; they lack authenticity; some are con-artists; some grifters; while others are predators.
Human predators have genuinely bad characters due to biological factors, or to intense conditioning. Many have brain-damage of various sorts. [In order for the theory to be comprehensive these distinct types need to be eventually delineated. No doubt some psychiatric manuals already do this.] For example, some may get violent if you speak to them asking them if they want to do something which they believe is beyond their capacity to do. If you are close by they will slap you in the face as their way of communicating. Is it right to dub them "genuinely bad"? Or is it merely some form of mental illness – such as one type of Autism?
Others may have differing kinds of severe personality disorders ...such as extreme narcissism, inability to admit to a mistake, or to having done wrong, an authoritarian streak (a need to boss others), a delusion of being above the law, or an ongoing feeling of superiority (looking down on we commoners.) There are many other sorts of deviants out there.


In contrast, persons of goo character will strive to avoid hypocrisy, corruption, and selfishness. They will have some self-discipline. They
will have a degree of self-respect as well as a capcity to respect others.
They will not easily yield to temptations, and they will avoid self-abuse (such as drug-addiction.) They will be well-intentioned (devoted to goodness) and will work to put somehow their moral intentions into action.
They will tend to watch their health, eat healthily, exercise, make sure they get plenty of sleep, etc. They will ask to take on some responsibility and be accountable for it.
They will observe the Principle of Moral Consistency: they won't have one standard for others and another standard for themselves. They will seek nonviolent solutions to any human relations problem. Such an individual will not be a phony; and will avoid double standards. Many of the good people will have a quality known as: Moral Courage. {This is seen, for example in those who expose corruption, or some morally-questionable behavior going on in the company or business in which they are currently employed.}

As we continue to develop cooperatively a new-and-improved Ethical Theory, I ask your help in adding value to the lists: they go on the premise that there good qualities and bad qualities that people may have. In summary, and to review, In a person of good character you will recognize these traits, these properties:
Authenticity, Transparency of motives, , Honesty, Sincerity, Humility, Morality, Integrity, Readiness to be helpful, to be of service, Readiness to take on some responsibility, and be held accountable for the performance of it, Affability, Good will, being considerate, good-mannered and courteous, having an attitude of gratitude for all that goes right in life, etc., etc.

In a person of bad character you might find these traits, these features, these properties:
Selfishness, Corruption, Severe and blatant hypocrisy, Greediness, Power-hngriness, sociopathy, Narcissism, Inability to admit flaws, failure, or fallibility, Lying tendency, Snobiness and false sense of superiority, Egotism, Exploititiveness, Bigotry, Predation, Sadism, Schadenfreud tendency, Brutality, Cruelty, Willingness to violate good laws, to consider criminality, etc., etc.

You can probably add to these lists.
Fortunately, the madmen and psychotics ready to resort to violence are only 2 percent of the worrld's population.
Most bad characters may act the way they do out of ignorance as to how to do better. Some lack savoir faire or skills to be diplomatic, kind, decent, etc. Indifference (to the Intrinsic Value in other individuals) is a major cause of bad conduct. In other words, not knowing your Ethics.
See the concise paper, LIVING WELL - http://www.myqol.com/wadeharvey/PDFs/LI ... ourish.pdf

And do you have a better comprehension of the field of Ethics after having read over this booklet, including the Bibliography?
http://www.myqol.com/wadeharvey/PDFs/TH ... ETHICS.pdf

"The most valuable gift you can give another is a good example."
-----------Anon.

Any questions? Additions? Constructive suggestions?
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