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A Minimalist Ethic for Everyday Life
The Golden Rule of the Abrahamic religions says: "Love your neighbor as yourself." In contrast, the Chinese philosopher Confucius says: "Don't do to others what you don't want for yourself." These are not just variations of the same thing. They are vastly different things.
With Confucius, we embark on an exploration not only of what he has to say but also of ideas from Socrates, Taoism, Buddhism, Karma theory, Negative Theology, the difference between external and internal commandments, and the practice of "keeping the Sabbath."
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"An engaging philosophical tour and straightforward advice guide." -- Kirkus Reviews
Excerpts from A Minimalist Ethic for Everyday Life
"How can you avoid being sued? Don't be a schmuck." That was the advice from a speaker at a conference on ethics for psychiatrists and psychologists. The topic was the ever-present possibility of facing complaints and lawsuits from angry patients. The speaker gave away a few other lapidary pieces of advice . One was this: "When in doubt, don't."
We begin in what may sound like course bumper sticker wisdom, but we quickly move into areas of philosophical and psychological subtlety. Where we end up is not at all where we started.
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Why address this topic now? Because this brand new millennium we are living and witnessing has become marred by increasing levels of anger, rage, hostility, and hatefulness. Nations previously considered more stable that not are almost coming apart at the seams because frighteningly large numbers of their citizens are drunk with rage and hate--and loving it. These nations may be built on high ideals, but they are crumbling on their very foundations, which have become hollow feet of clay. Nihilism is no longer a concept for intellectuals to philosophize about. It is taking over the streets and households of our world, where being a "schmuck" is becoming the new and fashionable normal.