Eudaedalism is the ethical position that the highest good is
continued life on Earth.
Eudaedalistic Definition of "Life"
"Life" is defined "diversity and quantity," with a heavier emphasis on diversity than quantity.
For example,
- a world that had 100 creatures all of the same species is less "alive" than a world with 100 creatures of 2 species.
- a world with 2 languages is more "alive" than a world with only 1 language.
- meta-diversity is more alive than mere diversity: a world with diversity of both languages and species is more "alive" than a world with only diverse species
- harmful diversity (that threatens continued life) is weightened negatively, e.g. the addition of superweapons to a world is not "good" in a eudaedalistic sense.
Eudaedalistic Definition of "Continued"
"Continued" is defined as both
- minimal risks to future life
- maximal assets supporting future life
Why Eudaedalism Is Important
Different ethical systems are useful for different timescales:
- deontological ethics (e.g. laws preventing people from harming each other) are useful for everyday situations
- consequentialist ethics, such as utilitarianism, are useful for choosing different sets of laws or policies by looking at how they will affect different groups or people in the long run
- eudaedalism (which is also consequentialist) is useful for decisions that affect timescales that do not matter to groups who exist today
Eudaedalistic perspectives are also useful for adding contexts to individual preferences that might otherwise be arbitrary. For example, one can ask, "what preferences can I choose for my own life that will maximise the value of my actions to continued life on Earth?"
Please cite this article as:Cora, E. (2012, August 27).
Introduction to Eudaedalism. chira.net/cora/eudaedalism
