For any system of ethics, is there just one primary rule...?

Question

That is, DO NO HARM?

Does all ethics come down to this one rule, regardless of its myriad implications?
Could our present or any possible society be maintained just by everyone's adherence to this rule?
Also, shouldn't Y! Answers have an ethics subcategory within the society and culture category, since it obviously has its own ethical system?

Answer 1

Ethics is situational, and it's complex. I don't think it's boiled down so easily.

Do no harm? I can think of circumstances where it would be considered good to do harm to someone. For example, when trying to defend yourself or another person from attack.

There's always the golden rule -- do not do to others what you would not have them do to you. But, sometimes you may have to as there may come a greater harm through following this. For example, I would not like to be imprisoned, but I can think of examples of where we need to imprison people, to keep us all safe.

Me, I'm quite fond of Aristotle's doctrine of the mean. (That's mean as in average, not as in cheap or nasty!) This is the idea that virtue comes from avoiding extremes. So, if you were to give all your money away to whoever asked, you would be foolish. If you don't ever help others or give to charity, that's miserly and selfish. Being good means seeking to act in a balanced way, and we become virtuous by doing virtuous things. That means a lifetime of choices, and acting on those choices. It's not easy! Mind you, no-one ever promised life would be!

For what it's worth I think ethics sits quite nicely under philosophy. Ethics is considered to be a branch of philosophy after all.

Answer 2

Unfortunately, the term "Harm" is relative and too broad a term. What harms a man may not harm a woman, or a tree, or a building... so who decides the extent of the term "Harm"?

And "ethics" is also debateable... although it shouldn't be... but that's human nature and free will. The last thing I want to see is "Ethics Police" who create their own definition of what is wrong or right - either on Y! or anywhere.

Answer 3

Not if a system of ethics promotes self-preservation by any means possible. This means killing to get what you want, stealing, maiming, etc. is permissible.
The ethics category should probally be under the philosophy section, not only because it is more or less a philosophical catagory , but you asked the question under the philosophical category as well.

Answer 4

The Golden Rule.

Answer 5

ethical systems cannot be divided from physical systems and as the physical has basic needs ,for example eating and secreating, a form of harm can be attrbuted by either .
'do no harm' is a good general self reminder, but the complexities of sentience itself will not allow adherance to even that simple dictat. there are no easy answers, there is no philosophers stone, there are no answers.......

Answer 6

When I drew up some of my own rules for living (I highly recommend it, by the way, it's a fascinating excercise), one of the rules I came up with is almost the exact opposite of this:

The word for a thing that will not fight to preserve what is valuable is 'dead'.

Think about it - virtually all heroes are those who did not give up, but were willing to struggle against things that they thought shouldn't be. They weren't always right about their values, and the process of struggling was usually a bloody one (even if they did most of the bleeding), but at least they tried with everything they had.

And that means compromising secondary values such as 'it would be nice if nobody had to get hurt' for primary ones such as freedom, peace, happiness, or (most importantly) the survival of all mankind.

The quote is NOT, "Give me liberty or I'll go away and stop bothering you!"

Answer 7

Actually, most of the ethical theories have as their basis the concept of promoting human flourishing. Some theories would advocate harm to some if it was for the benefit of the most.

Answer 8

I say RESPECT - treat other people they way you want to be treated, (the Golden Rule - Do unto others as you would have others do unto you).

"Do no harm" is the lower limit of the medical profession. You might apply it elsewhere. You could even stretch and say it might relate to respect.

Answer 9

Let's try Love,instead of do no harm. Out of Love comes forgiveness,tolerance,compassion,understanding,openmindness and many more, do all of these and how could you bring harm? Practicing Love would you not find one more principle..Peace.

Answer 10

Probalby "do no harm" or some equivalent.