ETHICS
compare the needs of two different people?
How do we weigh benefit and harm?
How do we predict the outcome of our actions?
Synthesizing thousands of years of philosophy,
science, and religion across cultures,
Arethion aims to provide the best,
clearest moral system yet devised.
We call this system The Rings.
The first ring is The Echelon, which describes who to care for.
Each person stands at the center of their own Echelon, and their moral obligations radiate outward. My first obligation is to my family. I’m the father of two children, and my first priority is them. They depend on me.
From there, my obligations move outward but diminish in intensity. If I saw a person fall near a busy street, I would be morally obligated to help them, even if I didn’t know them. But my obligation to that person, in total, is less than to my children.
The next ring is The Code, which describes how to care. Like the Echelon, the Code starts at the center and radiates outward.
Love sits at the center and animates everything Arethions do. Love means caring for ourselves and others, and seeking the wellbeing of that “we.”
Reciprocity is the process of give and take that nurtures all life. We must balance eating the fruit of a tree with planting seeds. Reciprocity is how we sustain the “we” of humanity and of nature.
Justice refers to the rules of order, which must be fair and impartial for all people. Justice should reward good, remedy suffering, and restore the community.
Rights are the human rights we all possess. Some of these rights are unconditional, like the right to free thought and belief. Other rights are conditional, like the right to peaceful assembly (which may require a permit).
Liberty is the ability to act and to pursue wellbeing. A core feature of liberty is the acknowledgement that our actions may increase or decrease the wellbeing of others.
