The principle of goodness and reality situating a fundamental ethical principle

Abstract

This paper describes an ethical theory provisionally called the Principle of Goodness. Before doing so, however, it is necessary to discuss the nature of human beliefs in general, in order to correctly situate the theory. It is not a theory of preferences, nor is it merely definitional with regard to ethical terminology such as 'good' or 'evil', nor is it an investigation into the 'good life' or practical reasonableness; although it touches on aspects of all of these. The theme is developed by demonstration of another way of thinking about reality available to us in development of ethical (or any other) philosophy, and we show that this way of thinking is possible and practical by production of an example: the theory of quantum mechanics.