Ethics & Moral Living

What Is Good and Evil?

Good and evil are often treated as obvious, supernatural, religious or absolute. A reasoned approach asks what these words mean, how they are used, and what evidence or consequences support moral judgement.

Why Avoidable Suffering Matters

If a being can suffer, then what happens to that being matters. This does not solve every moral question, but it gives suffering serious ethical weight.

Confucius

Ethical thinker · Traditionally 551–479 BCE · Ethics, moral cultivation, education, ritual, government and social relationships

Confucius was an ancient Chinese teacher and thinker whose teachings became foundational to Confucian ethics, education and political thought.

Mahavira

Religious leader · Traditionally dated to the 6th century BCE; exact chronology differs between traditions and scholars · Jain ethics, nonviolence, ascetic discipline, karma and liberation

Mahavira is regarded in Jainism as the twenty-fourth Tirthankara and the central teacher associated with the historical formation of the present Jain community.

Mencius

Ethical thinker · Traditionally c. 372–289 BCE · Confucian ethics, human nature, moral psychology and political philosophy

Mencius was an influential Confucian philosopher who argued that human beings possess natural beginnings of compassion and moral virtue that require cultivation.

Socrates

Philosopher · c. 470–399 BCE · Philosophy, questioning, ethics

Socrates is important to Truth By Reason because he represents disciplined questioning, the examination of assumptions, and the idea that untested beliefs may be dangerous.

Starhawk

Religious leader · 1951–present · Goddess spirituality, modern Paganism, witchcraft, ecology and activism

Starhawk is an influential modern Pagan writer, ritualist and activist associated with Goddess spirituality, Reclaiming witchcraft, ecology and social action.

The Buddha

Religious leader · c. 5th century BCE · Buddhism, suffering, mind, ethics

The Buddha is important to Truth By Reason because his teaching placed suffering, craving, impermanence and mental discipline at the centre of human inquiry.

Umasvati

Philosopher · Commonly placed in the early centuries CE; exact dates uncertain · Jain philosophy, ethics, metaphysics, karma and liberation

Umasvati, also called Umasvami, is the Jain philosopher associated with the Tattvartha Sutra, an influential systematic presentation of Jain doctrine.

Can morality exist without religion?

Yes. Religion can shape moral systems, but morality can also be reasoned from suffering, wellbeing, fairness, responsibility, consequences and social life.

Is questioning a religion disrespectful?

Questioning a religion is not automatically disrespectful. It depends on how it is done and whether the aim is honest examination or needless insult.

Why Truth By Reason Separates Findings from Implications

Findings and Implications are separated so that the site does not confuse what appears true with what may follow if it is true.