Evolutionary Principles

Following here is a sparse excerpting from the book especially relevant in this context. It is useful as a quick review and retains chapter numbers only.

Evolutionary Psychology

Preliminary Principles

2. Good is that characteristic of any situation, which if all else remains constant, causes an increase, no matter how slight, in the overall amount of justice in the universe. Evil causes an increase in the overall amount of injustice.

Justice occurs simply when the natural consequences to a living organism normally to be derived from it's actions according to natural laws, are not in any way interfered with.

Injustice interferes with evolutionary expression because it constitutes a disrupting unpleasant stimulus or worse to an organism and is, for this reason, a direct initial encroachment upon individual liberty. This applies equally to all life.

Evolutionary destiny is the principle imperative of nature.

The Quest for evolving good is to establish justice everywhere within reach. Pay close attention to recurring uses of this term. The meaning will be clarified forthwith.

"Morality" will herein refer to the relative balance of good and evil within the individual as this is reflected by the relative amount of justice manifesting in his treatment of all other organisms.

Good and evil themselves reflect emotional reactions more than anything else. Good is based upon the constructive impulse. Evil upon the destructive. Evil simply comes from entertaining the wrong emotional premise.

Any individual who persists in interfering with the normally occurring process of evolutionary expression, must by good men be regarded as evil, since such an individual impedes the ever more varied and complex expression of good.

The destruction of evil provides good people with excitement and adventure, and is simply the courageous and activist component of goodness manifesting itself tangibly as opposed to mere philosophizing. Good people of courage should humor good people lacking courage and not confide specific activities to them overmuch.

3. The caring and gentleness occurring among members of non-human species is necessary for the preservation of self and the species, and is perfectly natural.

Much of what is described as love among human beings is merely the same necessary caring and gentleness natural among non-human species.

Love, in a truly spiritual sense is totally impersonal, and is simply the desire arising within to see another living organism treated justly.

The uncaring and viciousness occurring among members of non-human species is necessary for the preservation of self and the species, and is perfectly natural.

Much of what is described as hatred among human beings is merely the same necessary uncaring and viciousness natural among non-human species.

Hatred, in a truly spiritual sense, is totally personal and is simply the desire arising within to see another living organism treated unjustly.

Cruelty is the willful use of unproductive or unnecessary viciousness, is unjust, and is primarily a human characteristic which cannot usually be attributed to so called "lower" species. Cruelty is the product of hatred, also primarily a human characteristic.

It is unclear at what point on the evolutionary ladder we can first observe unnecessary viciousness being manifested. In any case, the behavior will usually be related to an appetitive drive and the organism eliciting the cruelty will usually perceive his behavior as being necessary to his own survival or that of his species. It is important here to distinguish true cruelty from culturally determined, moralistic, or hysterical human reactions to natural viciousness.

The main cause of hatred in humans is the individual's exaggerated reaction to the time consuming worry and unpleasant anticipation which comes from having enemies who are capable of long term planning, coordinated collective action, and subtle manipulation. Ironically, much of life's excitement comes from these very same causes. As the individual attains to understanding, much of life's joy and sense of achievement will come from successful avoidance or dispersal of such enemies.

The natural desire for justice or "getting even" which arises within when one has been truly wronged has often erroneously been described as hatred, usually by rationalizing cowards or manipulative evildoers. Desire for "justice" when one has not truly been wronged is evil because it seeks its remedy through initiating or perpetuating injustice.

Much of human hatred is the natural response of desiring "justice" in situations where one has not actually been wronged, but where one has been taught since youth that he has been wronged. What may be just in intent becomes unjust in effect- a natural response to an unnatural situation. At some level the individual may sense that he is wrong and his subconscious self-reproach will add fuel to the fire of his hatred. People of intrinsic value, of course, will usually manage to sort out the truth sooner or later. Those who earnestly persist it seeking "justice" when they have not been wronged, once they have had the truth presented to them with reasonable clarity, are usually people of bad moral character and must be firmly encouraged in the courageous art of soul searching.

People will often unjustly accuse others of "hate" simply for not loving the same things or emphasizing the same goals that they do. Such accusations will often represent an attempt to rationalize the exploitation of those accused.

All people, for their own self-esteem and inner peace, must realize that another is not guilty of hatred and is not "anti" some identifiable group simply because he doesn't want to be unjustly sacrificed for their agenda, or because he prefers the practice of his own cultural heritage to theirs. The sense of rootedness and spiritual integrity which comes from a thorough familiarity with the traditions of one's own people is far more gratifying than being merely cosmopolitan. Having strong cultural roots, when this is combined with a rudimentary knowledge about other traditions, does not lead to divisiveness but to a greater respect for the cultural heritage of all people.

4. Philosophy is used to create a feeling of personal integrity and wholeness within by attempting to extrapolate beyond available facts. Correct reactions are based upon facts, not upon philosophy.

Most philosophy is merely the "explanation" that people lacking facts offer to justify their own particular emotional reaction to their environment. The only worthwhile "philosophy" is a comprehensive overview of all available factual data fused by love, heroic idealism, and courage. This involves an eclectic approach to the attainment of wisdom, not a slavish adherence to "isms" of any kind, including the fashionable zeitgeist of well entrenched science.

The spiritual development of an individual in the long term can only be judged by the net effect of his behavior upon himself, all other organisms, and the environment.

A person's spiritual development is reflected by his goal orientation. This will, via self-justification, determine his "beliefs." A person's "beliefs" determine his behavior. A person's behavior in the context of a totally free society, determines his situation.

The freedom of belief in society is absolutely necessary for the individual to reach the level of manifestation natural to his degree of self-development.

Freedom of belief does not preclude our attempting to educate those whose "beliefs" cause them to feel justified in habitually encroaching upon the liberty of others. This includes unnecessary insult.

People of positive spiritual development do not persist in "beliefs" which seem to justify unjust encroachment upon others. People of negative spiritual development often persist in any "beliefs" which seem to promote their interests even if such "beliefs" put them in opposition to logic, known science, and simple human decency.

5. Most of the worst atrocities committed throughout history have been done in the name of a loving God. It seems that the more energy expended in talking about love, the less energy there is left over to give love it's actualization.

The amount of tolerance enjoyed by any particular religion, even in a society professing religious freedom, is directly proportional to the amount of clout wielded by the religion. This in turn, is proportional to the amount of financial or political influence exerted.

6. Life, to be enjoyed, must be embraced for what it is- a great and exciting epic journey filled with both love and hate, good friends and terrible enemies, vibrant joy and unbearable sadness, exquisite pleasure and excruciating pain, deep inner peace and unspeakable danger, all of which for the heroic individual are interwoven with the Quest.

It is well to discourage within ourselves any intense feelings of dislike for anything which does not constitute a discernible threat to the overall amount of justice in the universe. Let us deal with things of importance and pure forms rather than irrelevant mental associations.

While, in all matters, it is well to be as sensitive to the intent of others as to any alleged effect of their actions upon oneself, it is also equally well to be as sensitive to the true long term effect of the their actions upon oneself as to any stated "intent" regarding these actions.

The illuminated individual often makes the mistake of thinking that others are the same way, when in actuality they are usually driven by motives of a much lower order. Sometimes our desire for human companionship among those of heroic nature will blind us to a person's true nature.

9. The highest actualization of evolutionary expression can only be attained in liberty through self-determination.

The individual may give or receive help from others, but it is wrong for him to expect the total impact of others in his life to be more than a break-even situation. The ways one gains in life should be achieved incidentally to the inevitable involvement with others.

When bemoaning the amount that you are encroached upon by others, be equally as cognizant of the ways in which others benefit you. Everyone else is pursuing their hopes and dreams too. Over time, the amount of encroachment is usually balanced by the amount of benefit. This is as it should be, in the world as a whole. It is well of course, to structure your affairs so that you can gain more than you lose in this regard. It is also well to structure society in the same way.

10. A higher morality consists in working towards justice for every living thing in the Universe, including oneself.

There are many today who think of themselves as having attained to illumination. The only ones who have however, are members of that loose aggregation of individuals who on a worldwide basis, continually work to move the World towards the one condition which favors the ongoing evolutionary expression of all living things. This is the Quest.

The Quest

11. Collectivist propaganda notwithstanding, interdisciplinary studies have objectively established that the Libertarian Capitalist Republic is the only political-economic system ever devised with complete internal coherence and long term workability. This is because it is the only system which works in harmony with natural principles rather than against them. It is the one and only condition which favors the ongoing evolutionary expression of all living things.

The highest aspiration of humanity is that the evolutionary destiny of life throughout the universe be unimpeded. The Quest here on earth is the elimination of all deterrents to evolutionary expression through the actualization of a Libertarian World Order, right now. This does not mean one nation or "One World," but a worldwide aggregation of separate Libertarian Republics, not completely attaining to this exalted condition simultaneously, but eventually. This can only be accomplished by the active participation of intelligent people everywhere in Libertarian Revolution, right now.

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