Growing In Goodness - Common Sense Ethics

Virtue Begins at Home With Intentional Family Culture

4/1/2021

Brendan Malone, of Left Foot Media, a father of 5, gives wonderful tips on how to teach and model virtue to our children at home. One way to do this is to create an intentional family culture based on our specific moral values, that will act as a counterweight to the negative aspects of the culture that we find ourselves in.

How do we teach our children virtue? This issue was being discussed in a similar context back as far as the Enlightenment by thinkers like Locke and Rousseau. Rousseau thought that a parent's primary role is to be a buffer between their child and culture, rather than simply being an agent of the dominant culture. Rousseau described the insular and affectionate family that educated its own children as “the best counterpoison for bad morals.”

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How to Tell Right From Wrong: 3 Rules For Every Situation

3/12/2021

Really you ask? Is it possible to tell right from wrong and to easily figure out how best to treat other people in every situation? Yes it is, and I'm about to show you how.

It turns out that there are 3 important rules we can always use to do right by others: the Silver Rule, the Golden Rule and the Platinum Rule. These 3 rules are applicable regardless of our politics, religion or culture. These moral rules also have broad support across cultures and throughout history. Let's discuss the Silver, Golden, and Platinum Rules, and how they can easily be applied to tell right from wrong when it comes to our choices and actions.

The Core Critical Thinking Skills Necessary For Independent Thought

2/14/2021

I was recently interviewed by Brittany Polat about the core critical thinking skills necessary for independent thought on her website, Living In Agreement, and how Stoicism can help us to think more clearly about the world.

We discuss logic, being slow to form opinions, having standards of evidence, separating truth from falsehood, being able to accurately evaluate other people's arguments, being open-minded, not being afraid to be wrong, changing your mind in light of better information, thinking with a degree of detachment, (rather than from a dogmatic or emotionally driven mindset) and a knowledge of cognitive bias and group dynamics.

Is there any group in which you automatically agree with all the opinions of the group? Are you in any group which views the “opposing” groups as evil, stupid, or weak? If so, some examination of your beliefs is probably in order. I suggest several ways to dig deeper and to think more independently throughout the course of this interview.

Books and resources to learn more about critical thinking:
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How Political Parties Dumb us Down

1/26/2021

Partisanship and political parties inhibit critical thinking in 4 ways, which I describe here.

To think critically about politics, it helps to remain somewhat independent and nonpartisan. It’s better to be committed to principles generally than committed to a party. Being non-partisan lets you focus on the bigger picture.

Economist Jeffery Tucker has a similarly low opinion of choosing sides politically. He writes: "By maintaining your objectivity and principles in these times, you will be in the minority...It is not easy in a hugely partisan political environment...Stay independent, think clearly, watch carefully, adhere to principle, speak fearlessly, praise when good things happen and oppose when bad things happen, tell the truth as you see it, and otherwise be ever vigilant in defense of rights and liberties, yours and everyone's.”

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A Year Like No Other

12/30/2020

Like most people, I am glad to be saying goodbye to 2020. This annus horribilis started out with the death of one of my favorite philosophers in January. Roger Scruton was a hero who smuggled philosophy books to students behind the Iron Curtain, despite great personal risk to himself. I posted about his story in February, and you can read it here.

In March, all of our lives were turned upside down by the Covid-19 pandemic. Many of us are now facing challenges that we didn't have before. If you need inspiration, check out this post from March about Hope, Courage and Gratitude during the pandemic and this post from April, about how Stoicism can help.

Also, if you are feeling seriously depressed, please get help! One thing the pandemic has made clear with the advent of "lock-downs," and other madness, is that many people don't take mental health seriously enough. Mental health problems and suicide are collateral damage to some of those in charge. Social isolation is not healthy or normal. Please reach out to a professional if you are struggling.

Is Honest Journalism Dead?

11/2/2020

Why is there such lack of professionalism and ethics in journalism in recent years? My guest Brendan Malone of Left Foot Media and Monday Night live and I discuss the many problems with contemporary journalism and what can be done about them.

To be clear, there are some excellent journalists who try to adhear to time-honored standards of objectivity still doing great investigative work. However we focus on the general negative trends that we see occurring in media - bias, clickbait, dishonesty, illiberal cancel culture, and lack of humility, backed up by references to hard data where possible.

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Conservatism Is a Defense of Liberalism, Not Its Enemy

10/20/2020

One thing creating unnecessary division in politics is that people don't understand that Conservatism as a political philosophy is actually a defense of Liberalism and not strictly its enemy.

Conservatism arose historically to defend Liberal Democracy against the inherent flaws in Liberalism. That actually makes Conservatism a branch of Liberalism.

Conservatism also seeks to defend Liberal Democracy against leftism and reactionism, which seek to overthrow Liberal Democracy entirely. That makes liberals and conservatives natural allies against illiberal extremism from the far left and far right.

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This One Idea Explains Most of What is Wrong With Politics

9/21/2020

Why do governments tend to become more corrupt over time? It turns out that the best answer to this question may have been floating around for over 100 years, and I think everybody should know about it.

“Who says organization, says oligarchy," states Robert Michels, a German historian who produced one of the most scathing assessments of government ever written. He argues that bureaucracy and democracy don't mix. Michels is best known for the ingenious Political Parties: A Sociological Study of the Oligarchical Tendencies of Modern Democracy, published in 1915. The book positively begs us to examine the maxim that power corrupts, and to seriously consider if democracy is nothing more than a idealistic impossibility.

Oligarchy is defined as rule by an elite or privileged few. Today people often use the word oligarchy to refer to a leadership class of corporate plutocrats, but what is less understood is how oligarchies form. Oligarchy is rule by a few to be sure. However, the concept of oligarchy in Michels' lexicon - the “Iron Law of Oligarchy,” - is both an explanation for how oligarchies originate, as well as a compelling critique of the inherently flawed structure of all forms of democratic government itself.

What is the Purpose of Government?

8/29/2020

What is the purpose of government? We all can define the purpose of medicine or of car repair and so forth, but with government, the purpose is undefined.

We wouldn't tolerate our doctor or mechanic talking to us in the way politicians do - never addressing the details of the problem, running away or becoming hostile when difficult questions are asked. So why do we tolerate it in politics?

This discrepancy indicates that we haven't defined the purpose of government well enough, which is the focus of this Socratic dialog.

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Read These 5 Books For a Deeper Understanding of Politics

7/31/2020

This being an election year in the United States, and given the dismal state of political discourse, I felt inclined to share this list of 5 books that have changed my perspective on politics.

These books are part of the reason that I stopped looking at politics in partisan terms. (The other reason is that I've worked to develop a more Socratic temperament where I try to look at the other side(s) of any argument.)

A partisan perspective is actually a severe handicap when it comes to examining politics, because partisanism creates a false dichotomy where we tend to ignore alternative or conflicting information. When we think that "This is my party/preffered media outlet and I agree with what they do and say," this mindset compels us to just scratch the surface of what is really going on.

If we want a real understanding of politics, we need to dig deeper, and that's where this list comes in. Here are the best 5 books to read for a deeper understanding of politics: