Absolute Ethics and Morality in an Absolute World

mr. Satish Malhotra (free lance researcher, no affiliations)

ABSTRACT: Absolute Ethics and Morality in an Absolute World

Our view on ethics and morality (the basic concepts and fundamental principles of decent human conduct; included in it is the concept of right and wrong) is in its foundations governed by our view of the world. At present on these issues we are either guided by the relativistic understanding on issues of freedom or the guiding principle that religions of the world provide for the individuals according to their belief. Now, look at the following way of the creation and the development of the universe (and the consequences for morality) 

Creation of the Universe: The Third View 

There are two views: scientists say it is ‘chance created’ religious belief is that it is God created. The third view we form is that the creation of the universe began with matter (from initial inherent quantum mechanical freedom), it is neither God created nor pure chance (a proposition that is known to have nil possibility). This has happened by lots of trial and error efforts, which allows the chance to operate, but the chance here is a progressively improving one which has allowed us in some small way nearer God (total knowledge). This process is the process known to us as Popper’s Theory of Knowledge.

 That world is not deterministic and its origin and progress is not chance created and it is not purposeless (or the purpose for human being is that of seeking pleasure), it has freedom as its cause and purpose. For explaining the more about the new process we first of need to define freedom i.e. explain as we see it 

Defining Freedom

Freedom has a connection to knowledge, which is that of the analysis of constraint on freedom. Higher freedom is lower constraints and higher constraints stand for lower freedom, and that crucial issues that constraints are pushed away by the advancement of knowledge; higher knowledge or improved knowledge pushes constraints away and enlarges our freedom. This freedom based analysis has a wonderful conclusion: it allows us to include the multifarious kinds of constraints into one constraint: the constraint of ignorance or lack of knowledge. With this definition of freedom and with freedom as the guiding principle (not determinism) let us try and sketch the world (the universe, space and time) and consequently the ethics and morality that ought to guide us.

Freedom and the Creation of the Universe

The first thing that freedom based analysis needs is that we provide matter with a will and ability to make choices and thus it is the creator of the universe (space and time) and it made progress by on reaching a viable universe (as a flow of quantum gravity, and a unique combination of the values of fundamental constants of nature c, G. and h) by trial and error learning process. The view that universe is matter’s own creation and the process is that of trial and error is the same process of advancement of knowledge that was given to us by Sir Karl Popper, we have extended it backwards from man to apply it to matter. This effectively replaces the two unsatisfactory views on the creation of the universe: the change created the universe or God created the universe. In this universe, progress comes by trial and error and learning from mistakes made, which is an improvement over the creationist theory and the pure chance creation (with zero probability) theory of the universe; here there is chance no doubt, but this chance here comes with progressively improving probabilities! It also gives a teleological causality to the creation and progress of the universe: to reach total knowledge (or what is the same thing total freedom, or if we say that this state is God, then it means that aim is to be one with God. This teleological causality of the presence of the universe and all that happens in it changes our view on ethics as well. The consequences for value theory and ethics is that we are compelled to provide for an absolute value and absolute ethics. How?

Absolute Ethics and Moral Values  

We have now the added necessity--when freedom and not determinism is the rule that created the universe and the trial and error process of its emergence is the same as the theory of knowledge given to us by Sir Karl Popper—of including in the concept of right and wrong the following: all right choices have to compulsorily include the newly known universal principle guiding the world: improvement of knowledge.  Since freedom of ‘what we can do’ is connected to an absolute ought; ought of ‘knowledge generation’ (which is also the real meaning of advancement of freedom) restricts our choices on the meaning of ethical and moral values: an absolute base gets included! Everything that promotes it is ethical, and all the decisions that retard the progress on this front is against the required ethical values!