People must recognize other people as people, not objects, and so not interfere with their interests and recognize limits to self-interest {altruism, people}|. People can realize that they are not special persons among all people.
People are aware that they have past and future, have ideas about past life and future life, and affect other people, such as relatives, friends, and community {biographical life}.
People make negative reports {blame}| about bad behavior. Blame requires responsibility, but responsibility does not require blame or praise.
People think about, feel, become motivated, and act on problems, responsibilities, roles, worries, and necessities {concern}|. Satisfying concerns is executing actions appropriate to problems. Concerns can be fundamental to identity or temporary problems. Ethical questions concern what people expect of each other and whether to do unethical acts. What other people think affects concerns. Concerns cause thoughts, motives, and actions but are not desires or drives. Satisfying concerns does not release tension from needs or drives.
Human ethical faculties {conscience}| can know right and wrong directly.
All actions have negative and positive, foreseen and unforeseen, effects {consequences} in present, near future, and far future.
Action consequences can be secondary to intended consequence {double effect}. Correct acts can have bad secondary consequences. Incorrect acts can have good secondary consequences. Secondary consequences affect action choices.
People can use other people's weaknesses to gain advantage {exploitation}|. In some situations, this behavior is unjust or unethical. In other situations, it is appropriate to winning competition.
People fear death {death fear} {fear of death}, which can cause anxiety.
People can always follow moral standards {integrity}, even if they can get away with bad behavior, have strong desires, or have need to take advantage.
Actions resulting in good consequences can produce rewards, and actions resulting in bad consequences can receive punishments, in proportion to responsibility and consequences {justice}. Justice results when everyone has fair returns for achievements and efforts. Justice results when all products and services offered are good as a whole. Justice results when opportunities are equal for all people and groups. Justice results when people receive compensation for torts, broken contracts, or other injuries.
People can be faithful to people or ideas {loyalty}|, by religious faith or personal fealty.
People can aspire to higher morality {moral ideal}| in actions, motives, or virtues. Moral ideals are praiseworthy and admirable. If people do not reach higher plane or do higher action, they have no blame or shame.
Agents have a duty {responsibility, ethics} to consider consequences. People's responsibilities to future generations are environment, population, and no radiation. Responsibility requires belief that personal actions are voluntary. People's actions and movements can cause responsibility.
Different societies have different risk assessments {risk-taking}.
wealth
In wealthy societies, people can afford to take monetary risks but avoid personal risks, because individuals are important. In poor societies, people take personal risks but not monetary risks.
God
Personal beliefs about God determine personal attitudes towards risk. Believers believe that God knows everything and can control everything. People can believe gambling is sin, because sinners do not trust in God to provide and hope to gain by others' misfortunes. People can gamble often, believing that fate is in God's hands anyway. People can believe that God disfavors opponents and favors believers.
results
After gambles, immediate results are all that counts. Long-term risk-taking results depend on immediate outcomes. To prevent repeat gambling, immediate results must be losses.
People try to maintain homeostasis and avoid pain {self-preservation}|.
Moral actions can be positively done for the good of other people, not self {supererogation}|, sometimes with difficulty, risk, or sacrifice.
Virtues {virtue}| are dispositions, not abilities or capacities, that typically have good results for society. The ancients had four main virtues: prudence or practical wisdom, fortitude or courage, justice, and temperance. Christians added faith, hope, and charity or love.
People can feel good overall {well-being}|, which depends on relative health, security, housing, fuel, food, pollution, and ecology.
Through reflection and experience, people can understand world and people and act efficiently, productively, helpfully, and intelligently in all situations {wisdom}|.
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Description of Outline of Knowledge Database
Date Modified: 2022.0225