The Degree of Suffering
As must be obvious by now my particular interest lately has been the understanding and theorizing of Morality. This, of course, brings with itself an internal conversation about what the most Moral course of action would be in any given circumstance. That this is a rigid question has not escaped my attention. It is my belief that the underlying dynamic of the Moral decision is always the same and that the performance based on that dynamic is only altered through the practicalities of each individual situation. In other words, I think Morality always assumes the same goal but must jump through different hoops (depending on the situation) to get there. To me the most Moral action is the action specifically designed to limit the highest degree of suffering while also maintaining the highest degree of pleasure.
The latter addition may seem obvious, suffering must make room for pleasure, but this is at least in one particular setting not entirely the case. Suppose I have a button and pushing it means ending all life on this planet instantly without any negative consequences for any other species outside of this planet. Aside from that, nobody knows I have this button and that I’m capable of pushing it whenever I want. If I then push the button I do not initiate fear or any kind of suffering at all, I simply make the planet die. This ends all suffering but is not considered, through my own internal processing, the most moral decision to make. By killing off everything I reduce suffering, but I also limit pleasure…I take away the possibilities for a pleasant future for others, the chance to love, to experience nature and so on. I take away the many wonderful oppertunities life has(or had) to offer.
Since that situation is an entirely theoretical one with little chance of occuring (the kind of buttons we have now do not work instantly, and would thus cause a significant amount of panic and suffering) the most workable definition of Morality is probably simply the reduction of suffering. It is foolish, and somewhat silly, to think of that notion on a short term basis only. I deem it entirely possible that at a given time there must be suffering first before a peaceful position can be obtained. This is a simple mathematical transaction however…If I create 3 suffering, and ultimately lose 5 because of that, I’ve lost 2 suffering. Of course, if I can create 0 suffering and still manage to lose 5 suffering, my results are greater still.
All progress is in essence a work in progress. And although the former sentence strikes me as a tad funny it does not negate the truth hidden in it. Everything worth working for takes a significant amount of work. Our best source for inspiration is most definitely history, which is full of tiny insignificant people forcing huge significant changes.
And with that I find myself returning to a fairly youthly sense of idealism, which is only reasonable given the fact that I’m merely 22 years old. I am confident that I will maintain this feeling of positivity, in general, in my outlook towards life.