Positive and Negative

I've deliberately tried to stay within the realm of relatively "easy to follow."  Compare and contrast with the nuances between positivism, antipositivism, logical positivism, rationalism, constructive empiricism, scientific realism, and postpositivism.  Within the realm of logical and rational philosophical discussion, there is even argument about how to argue.  For the majority of us who are not academics, philosophy seems unapproachable unless you have devoted years of study and have received a PhD. in a field that is going to guarantee eternal unemployment.

And yet, philosophy and ethics are at the center of all of our own personal experiences.

I am not an anti-intellectual and would encourage more, rather than less, reading about all of the above subjects.  However, I do believe that most of us lack practical ethics that be easily explained and rationalized.  It is no wonder that we rely on religious texts as a backup.  We do not need to justify our actions if we can claim it has already been said in print by an unquestionable authority, or if we can rely on a religious leader's selective interpretation of something in print.

In going back to Immanuel Kant's first formulation, here's how I think it can be constructively rephrased in a way that can appeal to intellectuals and practical people alike.

Imagine, even if you don't believe it, that you have unlimited free will.  You can choose to act morally or immorally according to your own inner compass.  Imagine that there is absolute moral relativism, and anything goes.

Now imagine that there are two possible worlds out there.  In one world, everyone acts like selfish animals.  We are beasts, fighting each other for survival.  We murder, steal, rape, pillage.  Nature shows that such scenarios do exist--when resources are low, or when there is the perception that resources are low, even if they are not.

Next, imagine that in the other world, people respect each other.  They hesitate before killing, stealing, littering, etc.  People generally treat each other kindly.  They cooperate in order to share resources, rather than hoard.  We are all caretakers of our environment, stewards in making our own existence sustainable and happy.  We live long, healthy lives.

Now assume that you are confronted with a moral choice: be moral, or don't.  Each time you make an immoral choice, you are moving the universe closer to the first universe.  Each time you make a constructive choice, you move the universe closer to the second.