Preliminary Views on Ethical Systems

“The world itself is the will to power - and nothing else! And you yourself are the will to power - and nothing else!” Friedrich Nietzsche

With regard to what makes a decision ethical, with how ethical statements are perceived, and the power that ethics have in society, it quickly becomes clear that there is no “standard” from culture to culture, or society to society. While all societies share some beliefs, there are many more which are not shared. The human sacrifices of the Aztecs stand in direct contradiction to the western view that life is sacred. The Buddhist conception that selflessness and leading a life free of suffering is primary is contrasted with western emphasis on individualism and capitalism. It therefore becomes of the utmost necessity to ask, “Why is something ethical? What are ethics and how do they relate to the larger picture?”

It becomes clear, not at first, but after careful study, that ethics are always determined by the powerful. An “Ethical System” is simply a means employed by those in power to impose their will over the populace. Via this system, the powerful can integrate their will over the beliefs, lifestyles, and perceptions of the masses. The greatest example of this is the Roman Catholic Church. The basis of the theology of the church is of little concern – the fact is that in order to spread their theological ethics, the Church condoned the murder of hundreds of thousands of infidels in Spain, the persecution of the Jews and Muslims in their homelands, and the colonization of indigenous peoples in the name of these beliefs. The Church could not be challenged, because the church had consolidated all the power. Power and Ethics are in separable. Looking to the Protestant reformation, we see that it was only a success because by converting, German Princes, French Nobles, and British Kings could free themselves from the chains of the Church. Hence, the Church lost power. Those who stayed faithful to the church did so to keep power – Spain was given Papal Authority to rule the entire New World. Of course, had the Church of been weaker, and perhaps the Islamic nations stronger or more centralized, there is no doubt that Europe would have become Muslim. Instead, Europe and America are today “Christian” and these Christian values are so ingrained in our society that it is hard to imagine a non-Christian America.

To take a contemporary example, let us considered the war in Iraq. It is common knowledge that President Bush long felt that it was America’s ethical duty to bring democracy to the Middle East, and that war was the only way to achieve that end. Other high level Cabinet Officials, including Colin Powell, disagreed. President Bush, however, was able to charge into war, because he, as President, had the power to do so. 80% of Americans supported him at the time. That is the power that power has over the ethical beliefs of the masses.

It would seem that people learn, or pick up, at least when they are young, a good number of there beliefs from society. I am a Lockean in this regard - knowledge is obtained simply by viewing and absorbing the repitive nature of events and objects. As a child, I am told that this object with four wooden legs and a flat surface is a table. I then form a preliminary idea of a "table". As I see other tables, and am told more about tables, my preliminary idea begins to change to account for these other tables. Soon, it encompasses nothing more an a definition of the word table - an obeject with 4 legs and a flat surface. I now have my "ideal form" of the table. It is the same with ethics. Through repitition and the careful indocrination of"right" and "wrong", young children in today's society learn the same about ethics. It begins at birth and continues throught primary school - "treat others how you would like to be treated" "learn to share" "work together" "act kind", etc. This is not to say that these are bad lessons, merely thatmany people accept them as a true without reflection. As they come from Authority, they cannot be taken as absolutely true - Authority begs to be questioned, to simply accept everything one hears as true as correct is to lend oneself to ignorance, no matter what the discipline.

Throughout the history of humanity, those in power have enforced the ethical beliefs they support across the world. Regardless of the nature or origins of these beliefs, the sole commonality is that they broaden the base of power of those who support them. Ethics are the cynic’s dearest toolkit. With ethics on his side, any man can control his brothers.