My Frame In The Art Of Ethics

Ethos is the distinguishing beliefs and principles that guide how you shape, place and frame ethics in the art of ethics.

My ethos In the art of ethics places the frame around interactions with "the other" - where the other might be human, animal, machine or system. As such I don't consider the ethics of items in isolation but only items in interaction. Thus it is possible to consider the ethics of a system or a machine and even the ethics of machine - machine interaction etc.

Here are the simple principles of my ethos - framed as diametric continua to guide my moral compass:

Or let me at least try to live by my ethos of simplicity ....

Here are the simple principles of my ethos - a list of opposites to guide me - always trying to be as far on the left off all of these as I can.

Conversation, Dialogue and Democracy Vs Command, Control and Autocracy
As I consider ethics to be an art and socially constructed and relative then it only makes sense (dare I say logical) to consider the methods of social construction such as conversation and dialogue to be ethical. I just can't see commanding and controlling of the other to be in itself ethical. 

I consider conversation, dialogue and democracy as ethical.

I consider command, control and autocracy as unethical.

Open Vs Closed
For real conversation, dialogue & democracy all relevant information has to be available to all parties thus openness is fundamental in my ethos. In contrast to openness - secrecy lies behind what many people consider unethical behaviour such as cheating, manipulation, deceit and misdirection.

I consider ethical that which is open.

I consider unethical that which is closed.

Freedom and Free Will Vs Determinism
For real conversation, dialogue & democracy all parties need to be respected as independent and autonomous with their own ethos.

I consider ethical that which respects diversity and freedom.

I consider unethical that which determines, controls and manipulates.

Simplicity Vs Complication
For real conversation, dialogue & democracy all parties need to be able to understand. Issues and information should be made available in forms that are accessible to all involved - so often "the devil is in the detail" - so often complication is used to hide things to enable manipulation, misdirection and deceit.  

I consider ethical that which is simple and easy.

I consider unethical that which is complicated and difficult.

Equality Vs Inequality
For real conversation, dialogue & democracy all parties need to be respected and treated as equal - this helps promote fairness and win-win scenarios rather than winner-loser scenarios. 

I consider ethical that which is and promotes equality and win-win 

I consider unethical that which is and promotes inequality and win-lose 

Diversity - Monoculture
For real conversation, dialogue & democracy there has to be and we have to respect different points of view - there has to be diversity. Diversity is also an important principle in adaptation and development.

I consider ethical that which is and promotes diversity.

I consider unethical that which is and promotes monoculture.

Help Vs Harm
We cannot have real conversation, dialogue & democracy if any party is under threat in anyway - its like negotiating with terrorists.  "Do no evil" types of statement are common in framing ethics but this is about avoiding negatives - I think ethics should be positive and should be about promoting the positive rather than just about avoiding the negative.

I consider ethical that which is and promotes help.

I consider unethical that which is and promotes harm.

.....

There you have it - my ethos as a simply as I could put it - a list of opposites.

Obviously some of those may come into conflict depending on circumstance and context but I will always try to stay on the left - I shall always try be ethical through conversation - my ethos seeks to be positive and to help by promoting openness, freedom, equality, diversity and simplicity.