Moderation In Ethics

Moderation, as a moral code, is really about identifying the motives for how we behave, and then acting based upon the right motive for each action undertaken. Eric Hoffer's famous, relentless denunciation of intellectuals and college graduates is rooted in his grave concern about their dangerous motives. He was not against being intellectual or being formally educated. He was opposed to people trained up and credentialed by educational institutions, because they really felt that their formal education made them members of society's elite class, and therefore entitled to rule and regulate the inferior, less formally educated masses who they believed were inferior children in need of a firm hand and constant,invasive supervision. Those referred to by Hoffer as intellectuals wanted to be somebody and make a difference, to reform society. Again these are worthy goals, but the motive of the proposer must not go unexamined. Too many in America want government rules and laws imposed upon the public to force them to live and work in accordance with lofty, pure motives. Coercion is usually resorted to to force the public to live in accordance with ideal standards and pure motives, selected for the many by the humorless, self-appointed few. The moderate ethicist advises that, with our lofty goals and worthy motives, we aim for high standards of performance, not perfect standards of performance. The reformer must change himself, more than seek to use law and functionaries to enforce lofty goals upon others. The moderate ethicist will advise that idealists mix their lofty motives of bettering the world with practical, more trivial motives like having fun for its own sake, relaxing for its own sake, and working for profit in business to acquire things, and make a living. The moderate ethicst defines moral goodness as moderation in most or all things, and he defines evil as fanatical excess in all things. Subsequently, the noble motive is a temperate one, or is a lofty motive not felt or pursued too intently. The wicked motive is selfishness secondarily, or primarily, it is the wholehearted, ruthless, fanatical chasing after fulfillment of a lofty motive by any means, by totalitarian enforcement, without regard for tolerating dissent, independence of action, individual preference or free choice. Trivial motives, practical concerns, materialistic ambitions are all humanizing considerations included by the wise person in her daily life to prevent her from becoming a fanatic, the most evil state of being. Intellectuals, in the first half of the 20th century, driven by pure motives, ensconced in mass movements seeking to force the world and all reluctant people to rally to their banner and cause, were guided by pure motives. These ruthless, intense, vicious people unleashed destruction upon societies through out much of the world. The temperate, moral person will live well and mean well, collecting a handful of motives to live by: love of fun, love of sports, love of material possessions, love of church, love of God, love of learning, love of political activism, love of doing good in the world, and especially driven to live and let live while working tirelessly to better himself more than change the world. It is not too hard to imagine that where a few million Americans or Nigerians so live with patience, humor, tolerance and a love of gradual change the world will be a much better place. I preach the philosophy of Mavellonialism, colonizing the world with mavericks. Mavericks or anarchist individuators can be driven by the reform bug, be ambitious to be somebody, and advocate enlightened self-interest, but they too would push to deinstitutionalize or decentralize society structures so zealots, intellectuals and functionaries of all stripes will be permanently denied these hierarchical structures for fostering groupist mindlessness and excessive conformity that make pure motives the excuse to torture suffering humanity.