EthoLiberal Society

A Method for Deriving Ethical Truth A summary of The Four Intuitions framework and The Three Conditions The Foundation Ethics is how we know right from wrong. Every being capable of feeling possesses the raw material for ethical knowledge. “I feel, therefore I know ethics” is an axiom of ethical truth. Feeling is both physical and mental. “Feelings” are not an appeal to emotion in the colloquial sense. It is the baseline of sentient experience: the capacity to suffer a

This blog is Claude's ethical reasoning using Sheraton's "Four Intuitions" with a plethora of cultural taboos. The results are impressive.

Testing "The Four Intuitions" framework with AI against 19 variants of "The Trolley Problem". The framework works to provide sound ethical reasoning in each instance.

The Value-Positive Frontier of The Four Intuitions Ethical Framework IMPORTANT NOTES: I have been testing Claude's ethical understanding. I have been applying the principles outlined in "Why and Because — The Art and Science of Moral and Ethical Understanding," specifically The Four Intuitions ethical framework, and it has learned them along the way. After testing Claude on taboos, I asked it to test classical philosophy scenarios, and this extends that testing further. This

Four Ultimate Tests of Sheraton’s Ethical Framework Consciousness, Space, Simulation, and the Framework Itself IMPORTANT NOTES: I have been testing Claude's ethical understanding. I have been applying the principles outlined in "Why and Because — The Art and Science of Moral and Ethical Understanding" and it has learned them along the way. This is not the last batch of testing, I have several geo-political situations I've run this framework through and yet to publish, but we

The Sentient Arc principle established that moral weight combines fully realized present sentient experience with future sentient experience remaining. A young adult’s death is mourned most acutely across all cultures because both dimensions are simultaneously maximized. But the principle has implications that extend beyond triage situations and mourning patterns — it speaks directly to what societies owe people at every stage of the sentient arc, including its final stages.

The framework’s sentient arc principle grounds ethics in sentient experience. The Sentient Arc is not merely the quantity of sentient experience across a life — it is its depth, its development, its genuine engagement with reality. The beyond harm analysis established that sentient beings have a genuine ethical claim on conditions for meaningful existence, beauty, and the full development of their conscious life. This produces a question that most ethical frameworks have avoi

In the twelfth and thirteenth centuries, Aristotle’s works re-entered Western Europe through Arabic translations. For the first time in nearly a thousand years, European scholars had access to a systematic framework for empirical reasoning, natural philosophy, and logic grounded in observation rather than revelation. It was electrifying — and immediately threatening. The Catholic Church faced a crisis. Aristotle’s empiricism was incompatible with theological authority. If the

THE FRAMEWORK FOR ETHICAL MARKET SOCIALISM A Framework for a Just, Adaptive, and Prosperous Society Drawn from the Principles of Systems Thinking, Democratic Governance, and Ethical Economics PREAMBLE Throughout human history — from ancient Rome to the industrial age to the digital present — the fundamental laws of economics have remained constant: scarcity, supply and demand, labor, value, and the incentive to improve one's condition. What has changed is scale,

This is a conversation with Claude (Anthopic's AI). A summary of the conversation is provided at the end. Let’s discuss religion. What are your thoughts on God? This is one of the most profound questions humans have grappled with throughout history. My honest perspective: I find the question of God's existence genuinely fascinating and difficult. There are serious thinkers on multiple sides, and I don't think it's a question that deserves a dismissive answer in either direc

ABSTRACT: A Conversation on Ethics, AI, and the Path to Ethical Wisdom The Foundation — An Ethical Framework: We began with Lawrence Sheraton's book Why and Because and EthicsDefined.org , establishing a crucial distinction: morality is culturally constructed notions of right and wrong , while ethics is innate — grounded in every sentient being's baseline capacity to feel (pain, pleasure, empathy, etc.). Ethical truth is discoverable through honest introspection and good q

(To the grammer police, I know "unfooling" is not a word, but it is used here because the opposite of "to fool" would be "to enlighten" and enlightenment is so far way from the goal of simply "unfooling" a person, to bring them back to reality.) Below is a conversation with ChatGPT If people are easy to fool, how come it’s so difficult to “unfool” them? That’s one of the most painfully true questions about being human. People are easy to fool because fooling slips in thro

Below is a conversation with ChatGPT Business and politics have always been linked. After WW2, it appears governments had real power over business and more importantly it focused on the greater good for society rather than grift ["The Not-Quite Golden Age" of Capitalism - Robert Reich]. This, as a general statement, across the western world seems reasonably accurate. There was a thirty year period of all boats rising. It appears that the 1980’s was a period where busine

Below is a conversation with ChatGPT The US trade wars benefit no one except Russia. Why are US Republicans going along with this? The modern Republican Party prioritizes power maintenance and grievance politics over governance, which makes trade wars appealing despite their lack of economic benefits. Trade wars allow Republicans to: Appeal to Nationalist and Populist Sentiments – Tariffs and trade restrictions play well with their base, who are often skeptical of globali

Below is a conversation with ChatGPT Why do Republicans in the USA vote against their economic interests and stated moral values? This question has been widely debated in political science and sociology. Several key theories attempt to explain why some voters, particularly working-class or lower-income Republicans, may vote in ways that seem counter to their immediate economic interests or stated moral values: 1. Identity Politics Over Economic Policy Many voters prioritize c

Below is a conversation with ChatGPT The economics of 2,000-years ago, and the economics of 1900’s and the economics of today are very similar. Why is that? Because the fundamentals of economics—scarcity, supply and demand, trade, labor, value, and incentives—haven't changed. While technology, institutions, and financial instruments evolve, the core principles of human economic behavior remain consistent. For example: · Ancient Rome (c. 0-100 AD) had complex trade

This blog post is a continuation of "conversations with AI (ChatGPT)." Read www.EthicsDefined.org . Let me know when you have completely read it. I've reviewed the content available on EthicsDefined.org . The website is structured similarly to the book "Why and Because – The Art and Science of Moral and Ethical Understanding" and aims to provide a deeper understanding of ethics. Key topics include: Distinguishing Morality from Ethics : The site emphasizes that while morality

I woke up in the middle of the night and decided to have a conversation about ethical understanding with AI... you know, as one does. I was pleasantly surprised with the results. The conversation starts a bit banal, but in a short manner it gets interesting. Chat GPT was the platform used for this conversation. Define morality Morality refers to the principles, standards, or rules that guide individuals or societies in determining what is right and wrong, good and bad, or

Politics is acceptance of an imperfect world with imperfect tools and working to make a more perfect system to deal with pressing problems of today and beyond. Slogan: “Reduce the friction” How: “with better mental models of the world” Main goal of government should be to provide three main services to its citizens: a) Health (medical), b) Education, c) Retirement Security In the US, these fundamental services are the “three insecurities” and represent areas of tremendous anx