Standalone Essays · Character and Virtue

The Transcendentals of Ethics

A working list of the virtues that recur across traditions, cultures, and centuries — not a closed system, but the recurring shape of what people who have thought hardest about character keep landing on.

Humility

Being willing to make mistakes and laugh. Understanding that without mistakes it is impossible to learn or evolve. Humility is perhaps the master virtue, the one that underpins all the others. It’s hard to have compassion if you’re full of pride, since pride tends to make us think more highly of ourselves than of others, and leads to a sense that our interests take precedence over theirs. Humility dissolves this “me versus them” dynamic and leads to compassion. Humility in ethical decision making also means acknowledging the limits of our knowledge and understanding.

Realize that you are nobody, that ultimately you came from nothing and will return to nothing. The world existed for millions of years without you and will go on for millions more after you are gone. Enlightenment should bring with it a transcendence of all constructs of the ego. Work at setting aside all the filters of experience that stem solely from your own ego. You have only one limited perspective on reality; observing the world through the eyes of others will grant you a slightly greater grasp of truth. Freely acknowledge your faults when you have them. If you do not, you may grow to feel justified in everything you think, say, or do, even if it is measurably wrong. Acknowledge that what you did was wrong and put in measures to correct it and avoid it in the future. But don’t be overly critical or judgmental of yourself.

Mindfulness

Being present and living in the moment. It’s about emotional regulation, and the practice of self-observation. It’s about not dwelling on the past, or being anxious about the future, and instead focusing on the present, while striving to distance yourself from ego and desire.

Honesty

Honesty as a transcendental value involves a willingness to see reality both as it is and as it could be. Be objective in your assessment of both your weaknesses and your strengths. If you are smart or beautiful, be comfortable with that, knowing that these are the products of genetic and circumstantial chance. If you are mentally limited and plain, be comfortable with that too, knowing that these do not define your true worth.

Positive detachment

The purpose of positive detachment is emotional regulation. It allows you to remain grounded and objective amid other people’s drama and emotional dysregulation, and it encourages challenging traditional notions of success and progress: accomplishments and reputation shouldn’t be the sole determinants of self-worth or happiness. This mentality is empowering and can help remove the pressure and anxiety that comes with the desire for success or recognition. Letting go of that desire allows for more freedom to experiment, to take risks, and to learn. A person who has developed positive detachment understands that failure doesn’t have to be a bad thing; it can be a valuable learning experience.

Equanimity

Epictetus said, “happiness and freedom begin with a clear understanding of one principle: some things are in our control, and some things are not.” He also said, “first, say to yourself what you would be, and then do what you have to do.” In Bushido, warriors were taught to maintain calmness even in the face of adversity. The trick for them was perhaps to focus on ikigai, reason for being. If you keep focusing on what you are actually good at, what you are meant for, it might make ignoring uncomfortable circumstances a little easier.

Contentment, and its fruit, voluntary simplicity or minimalism

Stoics held to a principle of mastering one’s desires. Though Marcus Aurelius was unbelievably wealthy, he chose to lead a temperate and modest lifestyle, feeling that by renouncing unnecessary or unhealthy desires, he might achieve a sense of tranquility and contentment. Miyamoto Musashi also lived an ascetic lifestyle, living simply and deliberately forsaking material luxuries. He said, “there is nothing outside of yourself that can enable you to get better, stronger, richer, quicker or smarter.” In both Stoicism and Bushido, simplicity and temperance are seen as essential to reaching a state of inner peace and contentment. They both suggest that by renouncing material goods and desires, one can focus on what really matters: cultivating virtue and wisdom and developing one’s character. Both traditions value self-mastery above external wealth or power. To Stoics and samurai alike, the highest good was found within, rather than in external trappings.

Appreciation

Making regular expressions of gratitude and approval, or of aesthetic satisfaction. Possessing sensitivity to the true worth of things or people. Appreciation is much more than a minor social skill designed to make others like us. It is a fundamental survival tool. Beyond sheer luck, survivors are those who quickly focus on the resources that they do have, the opportunities that do exist, rather than being locked up by focusing on what they have lost. The mob focuses on their fear of the fire and the one door everyone is trying to force their way through, and dies. The survivor looks for a window or an axe to chop their way through the wall.

Enlightened self-interest and reciprocity

A very fundamental beginning to ethics could be evolutionary ethics, starting with the idea of “enlightened self-interest,” which leads to cooperative work, which leads to an idea of collective good, which implies at least a modicum of reciprocity. Reciprocity contains within itself the notion of justice. A sense of social justice should bring us to a desire for the welfare of others, but only if a certain sense of beneficence exists. This type of beneficence, grounded in a decision to commit yourself to the good of another, can be considered a type of love — a non-romantic, non-biologically based relationship possible between any two minds, regardless of substrate.

Compassion

A sense of sameness with others and with the world around you, and empathy with that sameness. The key to bridging different perspectives is patience, understanding, and even humility, being willing to make mistakes and laugh at yourself to break down barriers. Perhaps humility can be expressed in ethical reasoning as an openness to other perspectives, and a readiness to consider the possibility that we don’t have all the information we need.

Universality

Focusing on the threads that connect spiritual and cultural traditions and choosing to emphasize the underlying unity that transcends the surface. As Rumi put it, “every holy person seems to have a different doctrine and practice, but there’s really only one work.”

Transformation

The need to evolve and grow from one’s present level of virtue and knowledge to true, ingrained character and sapience. Rumi again: “the ocean will not allow its fish out of itself. Nor does it let land animals in where the subtle and delicate fish move. The land creatures lumber along on the ground. No cleverness can change this. There’s only one opener for the lock of these matters.” There is an ocean of wisdom that no fool can enter; the only recourse to gaining such insight is personal transformation. It is reminiscent of the Christian idea of the “new spiritual man” — unless you are born again you will not enter the kingdom. Transformation entails the shedding of the old, limited self and the emergence of a new self able to dive into the depths of that wisdom and comprehend the true nature of reality.

Moderation, the middle way, or the golden mean

Generally, virtue is found in moderation and vice is in the extremes. Insufficient courage is cowardice. Overabundant courage is recklessness. Sensual self-indulgence and self-mortification are equally harmful. The best form is found somewhere along the spectrum between the two. Healthy moderation is relative rather than rigid, and can be found at different points of the spectrum depending on the circumstances. The best approach is to find the least amount of a virtue that will accomplish the good on a given day. Perhaps one day moderation requires silence. On another a gentle nudge is sufficient. On other days, active resistance is demanded. But at all times, you should find the lowest, least damaging path.