Ataraxist ethics follow from our core principles. Ethical matters are often extremely complex. Highly inflexible or dogmatic systems of ethics prove to be unhelpful when one tries to apply them to the complexity and situational relativity of various moral dilemmas. Because of this fact, Ataraxist ethics are not highly systematized—that is, they are not formulated into a rigid moral theory; rather, we voluntarily strive to uphold several ethical commitments that are based on our core principles, and we use a somewhat intuitive process to determine which commitments are most binding in each unique situation. These commitments are highly inspired by, and somewhat adapted from W.D. Ross’ prima facie duty ethics. The Ataraxist commitments are:
1) Restraint to Not Cause Harm — striving to not cause suffering, to not inflict unnecessary harm on any sentient being. (Note: This commitment should take precedence in most situations. In Rossian terms this is referred to as Non-maleficence.)
2) Mindful Rationality — to engage with the world through reason and critical discourse (dialectical engagement), and to cultivate the wisdom of living well. Rational integrity entails: a) epistemic humility (grounding our beliefs in the best available evidence/a reliable way of analyzing that evidence, considering all of our positions to be tentative, and remaining open to revising our views in light of new information); b) using rational and compassionate reflection to guide ethical and practical decision-making (see 3); c) mindfulness practice—that is, increasing awareness and metacognition; decreasing automatic reactivity and uncritical identification with or assent to initial thoughts and emotions; increasing our ability to redirect from unhelpful thought or distressing impressions to actions aligned with our values or our concept of virtue; and d) a commitment to ongoing self-examination and self-improvement, with an aim to developing wisdom. (Note: Other virtues associated with aligned wisdom traditions, such as the Platonic and Stoic virtues of courage and moderation, may also be considered to be central to rational integrity.)
3) Compassion (active and unconditional compassion) — to do what is in our power to alleviate and prevent the involuntary suffering of all sentient beings, to protect them from unnecessary harm, and to practice solidarity. This includes the compassionate treatment of those who oppose us, harm us, or persecute us. (Note: This must, however, should not be interpreted naively—compassion does not preclude commensurate self-defense and removing harmful individuals from general society, where they can continue to harm, up until they are considered capable of safe re-entry.) This commitment could be summarized as loving-kindness.
4) Liberation — to strive for maximally fair and free relations, on the individual and societal level. To work toward a society that is based on Ataraxist core principles and ethical commitments. (Note: In Rossian terms there is a related duty referred to as Justice.)
5) Elevation — to promote the well-being and flourishing of all sentient beings. This commitment also entails generativity—that is, a strong work ethic to do what is needed to be done, to the best of one’s capacity, to work toward these commitments, or, to summarize in general terms, to promote good and to resist entropy. This may be as simple as finding some work a person can perform that benefits oneself and others. (Note: In Rossian terms this is referred to as Beneficence.)
6) Allegiance — loyalty to and solidarity with those with whom you have a relational or moral connection; this moral connection could be based on affinity, appreciation, shared values, mutual interests, etc. The commitment to allegiance entails the importance of maintaining trust, supporting shared values, and upholding the well-being and interests of individuals, communities, and causes you hold dear. Allegiance also includes a commitment to honor commitments, promises, and responsibilities to the best of your ability. (Note: In Rossian terms this is referred to as Fidelity.)
7) Reparation — seeking to rectify one’s previous ethical mistakes in whatever way is possible and prudent.
The following acronym, CALMER (or CALMERR), may help you to remember these ethical commitments:
- Compassion
- Allegiance
- Liberation
- Mindful Rationality
- Elevation
- Reparation and Restraint
Ethical Decision Making
In a situation that requires ethical decision making, we must do our best to intuit which commitment should be our highest priority in the particular situation at-hand, or we must choose the path that is most in line with these commitments — perhaps by preferring the course of action which maximizes the commitments upheld, or the course which compromises the fewest of these commitments. In the case of a situation where there is a conflict between a particular commitment and the commitments of non-maleficence or active compassion, we recommend deferring to the latter two as a general rule (for example, we hold that it is more important to prevent / alleviate suffering, than it is to increase happiness). However, each situation must be evaluated on a case-by-case basis using reason (a logical analysis of evidence) and/or our ethical intuition.
The negative or Confucian formulation of the golden rule (“Do not treat others in ways that you would not like to be treated”) offers an elegant heuristic for implementing the first commitment, as does the positive formulation (“Treat others as you would like others to treat you”) for the second, third, and fourth.
Final notes on ethics: utilitarian decision procedures present a way to arrive at ethical decisions in extreme cases, however, we find many problems with using a utilitarian calculus as a general approach to ethical matters. In cases where there is a conflict between the Ataraxist commitments, a negative utilitarian calculus might be helpful as a way to determine the best course of action in some situations.
With regard to Justice, Ataraxism is based on a libertarian conception of justice. We are in agreement with John Stuart Mill’s harm principle, which asserts that the only valid reason for restricting one’s freedom is to prevent serious and clear harm to others. This principle places the onus on those who would wish to restrict freedom to rationally persuade others that their proposed restrictions are ethically and pragmatically justifiable.
All of the Ataraxist ethical commitments should be taken to apply to oneself as well, and we must always attempt to balance our self-interest, and the interests of those closest to us, with our commitment to help others. Where this balance lies will depend on a number of highly variable and personal factors. We must always consider that we cannot do much to help others until our own essential needs our met—for this reason, we must give first priority to our own essential needs (see Maslow’s hierarchy of needs).