Human and/or Animal: The Morals, Ethics and Responsibilities of the Highly Intelligent Part Two

DAVID RALPH MACKERETH dmackereth@canimac.com

Continuing the thinking on whether highly intelligent Humans have developed this intelligence or was it an attribute Nature has arbitrarily provided.

One is born a Mammal and can become a Human “The mass of mankind are evidently slavish in their tastes, preferring a life suitable to beasts.” (Aristotle, 384-322 BCE) “I challenge you to look at one of your cells down a microscope and distinguish it from the cells of a mushroom. Onions, wheat and amoebae have more genes and DNA than we do.” (Nick Lane)

But “Just the same, it is time to remember that the first thing we belong to is humanity. (Aleksandr Isayevich Solzhenitsyn) There are no Natural Laws requiring a HI person to unquestionably contribute to Mankind and the Biosphere; however, if they do not commit a segment of Humanity’s Natural Resource (superior human brainpower) to do that: should it be considered acceptable Human Behaviour? As with Existentialism: Existence precedes Essence; HIs need to choose!

“There existed a natural man; an artificial man was introduced within this man; and within this cavern a civil war breaks out which lasts for life.” (Denis Diderot, 1713-1784) Proving burdensome for HIs!

“Most people do not really want freedom, because freedom involves responsibility, and most people are frightened of responsibility.” (Sigmund Freud, 1856-1939) For HIs, this burden may come with inherent competence!

“A man’s character is his fate.” (Heraclitus of Ephesus, c.6-c.5 century BCE)

“Everyone is really responsible to all men and for everything.” (Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoevsky, 1821-1881) To the best of their essential qualities!

More Citizens to participate in the decision-making process

“To be possessed of a vigorous mind is not enough; the prime requisite is rightly to apply it.” (Rene Descartes, 1596-1650) And become a HumEnvitarian!

“The word ‘idiot’ is of Greek origin and referred to people who were not active citizens.” (Eugen Loebl) Are there more ‘Idiots’ today, as a percentage of the population?

“Individuals have rights […] so strong and far-reaching are these rights that they raise the question of what, if anything the state and officials may do.” (Robert Nozick)

“We get the democracy we deserve.” (George Bernard Shaw, 1856-1950)

In his 2015 ‘The Challenge of Things’, Anthony Clifford Grayling advises; “What such people offer is exactly what the public conversation needs: ideas, perspectives, criticism and commentary. […] Whether ideas come to be accepted or rejected, everyone gains by having them discussed.” ‘Such people’ include HIs who need courage establishing their thoughts within the Public Sphere, even if they are ‘Rebuffed’.

“We therefore require the clearest [HI] minds to predict by understanding those which are on the horizon and to sort them out by calculation and courage.” (George Parkin Grant) “A philosopher [or HI] who is not taking part in discussions is like a boxer who never goes into the ring.” (Ludwig Josef Johann Wittgenstein, 1889-1951)

In 1750 Jean-Jacques Rousseau won the essay prize set by the Academy of Dijon on: ‘Has the restoration of the sciences and arts contributed to the purification of morals?’ with his ‘A Discourse on the Moral Effects of the Arts and Sciences”.

Humanity and the Biosphere should benefit having Humans participating in essay type contests respecting major issues. And this means all the people: in a country with a 200 million population (includes 4 million HIs), there should be abundant interesting and valuable solutions: say tens of thousands on most topics – from the young through to Great Grandparents – providing useful feedback; in addition to those accepted from the customary ‘Professionals/Experts’.

“A political act, to be done only once in a few years, and for which nothing in the daily habits of the citizen has prepared him, leaves his intellect and his moral positions very much as it found them.” (John Stuart Mill, 1806-1873)

“[…] democratic theory is concerned with the processes by which ordinary citizens exert a relatively high degree of control over leaders.” (Robert Alan Dahl)

“[…] the spread and vitality of knowledge in a free society is best assured by the lively interest of many different types of association with it.” (Gilbert Arthur Highet) Including vigorous HIs input!

“How do I know what I think until I hear what I say?” (Francis Harry Compton Crick)

Level of Civil-Disobedience required for a Healthy Society

“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful committed citizens can change the world; it is the only thing that ever has.” (Margaret Mead)

“[…] a person usually has to be a whistle-blower, given that he will most likely lose his job for telling the truth.” (Sam Benjamin Harris)

“Every great advance in natural knowledge has involved the absolute rejection of authority.” (Thomas Henry Huxley, 1825-1895)

“Adversity has the effect of eliciting talents which, in prosperous circumstances, would have lain dormant.” (Quintus Horatius Flaccus [Horace], 65-8 BCE) HIs should identify misfortunes and encourage active discussion that may not normally occur.

A minimum level of Civil-Disobedience should be a requirement for a Healthy Society (resembling ‘Mutation’ function in the evolutionary process). Admirable examples: in 1964, American university students began to protest the Vietnam War, and the Government reacted by leaving Vietnam. The U.S. Civil Rights movement was a meaningful Civil-Disobedience activity, resulting in the Civil Rights Act of 1964. “The May 1968 [civil unrest] affected French society for decades afterward. It is considered to this day, as a cultural, social and turning point in the history of the country.” (Wikipedia: May 68)

“The saving of our world from pending doom will come […] through the creative maladjustment of a nonconforming/minority.” (Martin Luther King Jr.) And Albert Einstein (1879-1955) has guidance with: “The world is a dangerous place to live; not because of the people who are evil, but because of the people who don’t do anything about it.” […] Unthinking respect for authority is the greatest enemy of truth.”

“At this point in history [1981] the capacity to doubt, to criticize and to disobey may be all that stands between a future for mankind and the end of civilization.” (Erich Seligmann Fromm) A pertinent 2022 HI slogan!

“My idea of society is that while we are born equal, meaning that we have a right to equal opportunity, all have not the same capacity.” (Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, 1869-1948) And for HIs to maintain their Human status, they may have to use their asset to furtherance Humanity and the Biosphere. In 1939, Edward Morgan Forster noted in his essay ‘What I Believe’ that “Democracy has another merit. It allows criticism, and if there isn’t public criticism there are bound to be hushed-up scandals.”

Prejudices and Biases of Leaders

“Is it more probable that nature should go out of her course, or that a man should tell a lie?” (Thomas Paine, 1737-1809) “Facts do not cease to exist because they are ignored.” (Aldous Huxley, 1894-1963) And today facts need a boost to permeate Social Media!

“It is the responsibility of all of us to invest time and effort in uncovering our biases and in verifying our sources of information.” (Yuval Noah Harari)

“Fortunately for serious minds, a bias recognized is a bias sterilized.” (Albert Eustace Haydon, 1880-1975)

“Prejudice is the child of ignorance.” (William Hazlitt, 1778-1830)

‘The Presidency is not merely an administrative office. That’s the least of it. […] It is preeminently a place of moral leadership.” (Franklin Delano Roosevelt, 1882-1945) Surveying world leaders today; brings this issue to the forefront! And “[…] the leader has to be a team player.” (Herman Northrop Frye, 1988)

“If the man turns out to be good and wise, then and only then should be given office. […] If one’s aim is wealth one cannot be benevolent; if one’s aim in benevolence one cannot be wealthy.” (Mencius, 372-289 BCE)

Have we progressed or regressed since Thomas Jefferson (1743-1826) “sent his protégé, Madison, some three hundred books on politics and government to help formulate a written critique of the Confederation’s weakness and the abuses in the individual states.” To avoid personal Prejudices and Biases!

Should we consider having three or five people occupying the Government leader’s position, covering different age groups (say 25 to 40, 41 to 60, and over 60). You could have three/five different views on any given issue, and with having three or five voting, there would always be a majority decision. Reducing the brunt of Leaders’ Prejudices and Biases! “To act intelligently in human affairs is only possible if an attempt is made to understand the thoughts, motives, and apprehensions of one’s opponent so fully that one can see the world through his eyes.” (Albert Einstein, 1879-1955)

“When individuals cannot allow their religious loyalties to be trumped by their public responsibilities, they should resign. […] it would be a great advantage to everyone to have atheists in leading government positions.” (Anthony Clifford Grayling) And most certainly applies to a country’s Judiciary!

Transparency and Governments

“By the late 1970s the conversation within the sealed and cloistered rooms of Washington’s diplomatic establishment had begun to resemble the dialogue in a play by Samuel Beckett.” (Lewis Henry Lapham)

Inadequate Government transparency guidelines inject potential bias: providing a secure place to shield problematic information. Additionally, countries like the United States have developed infamous creative ‘Rider Bills’ (bills with additional provisions added to the original version having little or no relationship to the primary legislation), adding opaqueness.

Canadians have become quite skilled at this ‘Rider Bill’ behaviour, as John Ralston Saul states: “The invention of the secret is perhaps the most damaging outgrowth of the power produced when control over knowledge was combined with the protective amour of specialization. […] In 2012, Bill C-38 –in which the stripping of protection from fish habitats is mixed up with unemployment insurance eligibility – was 425 pages long with 753 clauses changing 69 unrelated laws.”

“[…] the media, which is now the only mechanism whereby plans or policies can be communicated to the people, must accept the responsibility of objective, unemotional, non-sensational and positive analysis and explanation of what it is all about.”, reported by Frank S. Capon in 1984. Living in the Digital Age with its extraordinary Social Media capabilities, one should conclude reporting would have upgraded. But populations everywhere appear more perplexed than ever! Obviously the ‘Press’ must be independent – without direct Government or Corporate interference and most certainly represented by as diverse ownership as is possible. The operating structure supporting news/information generated for the Public requires rigorous (public approved) legislation: to remove any one human ‘Personalizing’ reporting performance. The populace is obligated to enhance competence in differentiating truth from deception, among the limitless daily information flow! With HIs applying their indispensable influence!

“First [you] build the tools, then they build you.” (Herbert Marshall McLuhan)

“One extreme speaks of an ‘information explosion’ as a feature of our time [1990], without apparently noticing how much of this information comes in pre-packaged containers.” (Herman Northrop Frye) Bypassing dialectic debate!

The default location for all Government Information is the Public Sphere, unless it meets the most stringent established Government ‘Classified’ guidelines.

Eliminate the consequence of Money on the Democratic Process

“The difference between a large campaign contribution and a bribe is almost a hairline’s difference.” (U. S. Senator, Russell Billiu Long)

“Economic dominance feeds political power, and political power further enlarges economic dominance.” (Robert Bernard Reich)

“The odd American idea that giving money to political campaigns is free speech means that the very rich have far more speech, and so in effect far more voting power, than other citizens.” (Timothy David Snyder)

“Every man to count for one and no one for more than one [vote]. […] Nevertheless it appears, more than any other formula, to constitute the irreducible minimum of the ideal of equality.” (Isaiah Berlin)

“[…] elections have become public relations operations. […] Somehow people don’t see how profoundly contemptuous that is of democracy.” (Avram Noam Chomsky) One must be diligent to avoid being influenced by the constant repetition of simple inane ‘Rallying Cries’.

Adequate technology exists to establish solutions removing the Draconian impact money/funding has on Democratic Elections. Here’s a simple outline for consideration and discussion. All voters have some form of identification number which governments could use to accumulate the voters most urgent and longer term needs and wants. Say through Income Tax Returns providing a section where the Taxpayer can list their 10 or 20 demands. The total can be listed on a Government Website in descending order. Going into an election Candidates and Parties would be mandated to post their personal (Candidate) or Party platform positions on their websites addressing the top 25. Each Candidate and Party would also be restricted to a small, say, $ 75,000 for a Candidate and $ 2,000,000 for a Party Campaign Budget (e.g., for the U.S. and adjusted to accommodate other countries).

The democratically elected winners would be required to have their 25 Point Election Platform registered on an independent Government Managed Electoral Website (with Public Oversight). This site would be updated with real time results, including a mechanism allowing for unusual agreed upon dilemmas (say war, financial and natural disasters etc.) “Especially with the [US] Supreme Court’s disastrous 2010 Citizens United decision that opened the floodgates to virtually unlimited corporate spending in campaigns and allowed big money to buy elections, […]” (Bernie Sanders) It may prove advantageous having a maximum dollar limit allowing every eligible voter to contribute equitably to a Candidate or Political Party – say $ 50.00! Then all voters (not corporations and organizations since they do not vote) could decently contribute. However, it may be more useful having limited comparable funding provided by the Government; thereby removing Monetary Electoral Bias.