2012 - December back through October - Upcoming Events Archive

Sunday, December 30th
noontime 'til about 1:00 PM
University of Missouri Extension Center
260 Brown Road in Saint Peters. (roadmap)

Potluck Dinner

It's Potluck Sunday! After the lecture, please join us for lunch.

First-time visitors are invited to attend and bring no food item for the table. Others: bring a dish, any dish, from soup to salad to sandwich to entrée to side dish to dessert.

The oven is available to keep things warm, and a large 'fridge to keep things cool, and there are lots of outlets for crockpots, etc.; and the microwave is available right after the lecture ends. (Please avoid any item that requires your attention from 10:30 AM through 11:30 AM, since any sound in the kitchen is amplified into the room where our 10:30 a.m. program is in progress.)

... and Hey! Also remember to bring your donations for the food pantry!

Even if you don't bring a dish or beverage, at least bring your appetite! See you then!

The general public is invited.

Wednesday, December 26th
7:00 PM to 9:00 PM
Host: Toni R.

Living Ethics Discussion

the topic is:
"Big Changes in Life"

What big changes have you gone through?

How did external changes change your inner life? What new perspective did you gain? What moral change did you undergo?

Did you become more self-accepting, or on the other hand more self-challenging? It's possible to become bitter in the face of unwanted change. What words do you say to yourself, or image or sound or feeling recall, that help you generate some kind of positive tone of gratitude or good will?

Invitation open to members of the Society and their guests.
If you wish, you may RSVP Mr. Bob Greenwell by email.

Wednesday, December 19th
7:00 PM to 9:00 PM
Hosts: Dee M.

Living Ethics Discussion

the topic is:
"Meaning of Christmas"

What does Christmas mean to those of us who do not follow its traditional strictly religious meaning? Does it make you feel warm, or rather angry?

If you were not raised Christian, you were nevertheless raised in a culture crazy for Christmas - - so how did that make you feel, and how do you feel about it now?

What positive good does Christmas do for people?

Invitation open to members of the Society and their guests.
If you wish, you may RSVP Mr. Bob Greenwell by email.

Sunday, December 16th
10:30 AM 'til 11:30 AM
University of Missouri Extension Center
260 Brown Road in Saint Peters. (roadmap)

Sunday Lecture Series

"Living should be more than just Surviving"

Our own SEEK program selected Illinois-based Project Restore to support this month via fundraising.

We'll hear about this humanitarian organization's mission to work with children, families and communities to overcome poverty and injustice while advocating self-reliance and sustainability.

The general public is invited.
Questions? Comments? Contact Mr. Bob Greenwell by email.

Wednesday, December 12th
7:00 PM to 9:00 PM
Hosts: Kirsten N.

Living Ethics Discussion

the topic is:
"Can Ethics Be Taught?"

We heard an outstanding talk on Sunday by Dr. Berkowitz, an international expert on character education in schools. He likes the phrase "turning children into moral (or ethical) agents". If someone is an ethical agent, this means action, and action suggests a range of skill in carrying out the action. He says the research definitively shows that moral character can be taught, and that improvement in that area directly spills over into academic improvement.

We've been talking about "ethical skills". Let's discuss the five factors that Berkowitz says make for an effective environment for teaching moral character. He uses the acronym PRIME.

Prioritization - character education must be the primary motive.
Relationships of teachers to students must be truly nurturing/loving.
Internal Motivation, not external rewards and punishments, is the kind that works.
Modeling is crucial (teachers/parents cannot be hypocrites).
Empowering: a democratic atmosphere works best.

A few extra questions: Once children have been taught the skills that give them what observers would describe as "ethical character", are they done? Is no more learning needed? Is no more teaching needed? If a person doesn't get this training in childhood, can he or she get it as an adult?

Invitation open to members of the Society and their guests.
If you wish, you may RSVP Mr. Bob Greenwell by email.

Sunday, December 9th
10:30 AM 'til 11:30 AM
University of Missouri Extension Center
260 Brown Road in Saint Peters. (roadmap)

Sunday Lecture Series

"Creating Just Schools and Classrooms"

Our speaker this Sunday is author Dr. Marvin Berkowitz author of You Can't Teach Through A Rat.

Schools tend to be hierarchical and authoritarian and make little room for the voices of most stakeholders, including children.

Dr. Marvin Berkowitz will focus on key principles of school reform that serve both school effectiveness and justice. His book outlines big lessons that all educators must consider in order to truly make a difference in the lives of our children.

Some of those lessons include:

Good education is rocket science - it isn't easy, but it's doable.
Schools are for kids and to further the development of the complete child.
Adults have awesome power over kids and need to use it to help them become good people worthy of admiration.
Schools are complex social organizations, success requires the input of all stakeholders.

Dr. Berkowitz is the Sanford N. McDonnell Endowed Professor of Character Education at University of Missouri-St. Louis and co-director for the Center for Character and Citizenship at UMSL. He is an internationally known expert on character education who has written more than 100 articles, book chapters and reports on character education and the leadership academy.

His 2005 book, Parenting for Good: Real World Advice for Parents from the Character Columns of Dr. Marvin W. Berkowitz is a collection of 50 newspaper columns written over four years for the Topeka (Kan.) Capital-Journal. The enlightening and often humorous columns are filled with insight, advice and practical strategies about children and their character.

The general public is invited.
Questions? Comments? Contact Mr. Bob Greenwell by email.

Sunday, December 9th
9:30 AM 'til 10:00 AM
University of Missouri Extension Center
260 Brown Road in Saint Peters. (roadmap)

Delicious Pancake & Sausage Breakfast

"A Fun-Raiser Extraordinaire"

This Sunday we will be having another yummy all-you-can-eat pancake & sausage breakfast. Volunteers who are helping to cook need to be at the Brown Road building at 8:30. We will serve at 9:30 and stop serving at 10:00 so we can get ready for the Platform Presentation at 10:30.

Dee says: We're hoping that many of you will participate in this monthly event which raises funds for an ESMR building in the future. Every time you join us we get a little closer to that goal, plus you'll have the advantage of having a healthy, hearty breakfast of pancakes, eggs, sausage, applesauce, and a few extras, as well as an excellent opportunity for visiting with other members in a relaxed setting.

Another plus is the happiness it brings to our cooks when they see their efforts appreciated by your presence.

And... if you are looking for a creative, inspiring, and inexpensive gift for a friend or yourself, we have the perfect solution. The ESMR Cookbook is now being offered at half-price, so for only $7.50 you can buy our treasured collection of members' favorites. The reviews have been highly complimentary. All proceeds go to ESMR -- a win/win situation.

$5 for adults, $1 for kids under 12.

Thanks so much for supporting our last breakfast, and we look forward to seeing you at this one!

The general public is invited.

Wednesday, December 5th
7:00 PM to 9:00 PM
Hosts: Sara S.

Living Ethics Discussion

the topic is:
"Ethical Skills"

We'll continue to brainstorm three questions:

How many qualities or traits of a person can you think of that would count as an "ethical skill"?
Can someone improve in this skill?
How might it be taught or learned?

These are basic questions for an Ethical Movement. Ongoing answers to them are essential to building a practical and usable body of teaching.

Last week participants brought up empathy, and bringing out the best in others, and we had a hearty discussion.

For each possible ethical skill that someone brings up, think of someone in your life who is above average (or below average, if need be) in this skill. How might that person have learned this skill? What ethical skills are you aware of in your own self? Skills that you seem to have been born with, or skills someone taught you, or that you learned in some way.

The primary goal is the value of the discussion in itself. Addressing these questions is an excellent way to keep our focus on our ethical lives and to fulfill the purpose of our meetings each time, whether or not we reach any group conclusions. A secondary goal, if it happens, is to have a collection of ideas that can be drawn upon or built upon going forward.

Invitation open to members of the Society and their guests.
If you wish, you may RSVP Mr. Bob Greenwell by email.

Sunday, December 2nd
10:30 AM 'til 11:30 AM
260 Brown Road in Saint Peters. (roadmap)

Sunday Lecture Series

"Brewster MaCoy"

Our speaker this Sunday is author Bruce Gard aka Brewster MaCoy, author of A Fear of Dying: A Soldier's Story.

His book is a fictional account of his experiences in Viet Nam, a story about a young man who would never have been drafted into the military because of his medical condition. He carried his medical records with him to the induction center and referred to them as his Ace in the Hole. Because of his smart mouth and his attitude, he got drafted anyhow. Once he realized that he was not going to get out of the Army, he decided to be the best soldier that he could possibly be.

He became a Chopper pilot on a gun ship and served two tours in Viet Nam. The story talks about both his and other soldier's experiences, fears, courage, compassion, and humor that they shared with each other during their tours in Viet Nam.

Brewster MaCoy was born in North Central United States in a small town with a population of about twenty thousand people, and has been a teacher for over thirty years. He came from a family with a long military history and has a brother and a sister. His parents were afraid that both of their sons could be killed in Viet Nam so they decided to have another child. Brewster's sister is seventeen years younger, and both he and his brother called her the Viet Nam baby.

The general public is invited.
Questions? Comments? Contact Mr. Bob Greenwell by email.

Wednesday, November 28th
7:00 PM to 9:00 PM
Hosts: Jill & Bill A.

Living Ethics Discussion

the topic is:
"Ethical Skills"

In the remaining LED's before the new year, let us get practical, ethical, and stimulated.

Here is my proposal. We will brainstorm around three questions:

How many qualities or traits of a person can you think of that would count as an "ethical skill"?
Is this trait teachable or learnable?
How might it be taught or learned?

These are totally basic questions for an Ethical Movement. Ongoing answers to them are essential to building a practical and usable body of teaching.

"Brainstorm" means we will freely associate. For each possible ethical skill that someone brings up, think of someone in your life who is above average (or below average, if need be) in this skill. How might that person have learned this skill? What ethical skills are you aware of in your own self? Skills that you seem to have been born with, or skills someone taught you, or that you learned in some way.

I will take notes. We may end up with very worthwhile list of potential ethical skills and ideas on how to promote them.

This exercise has a primary goal and a secondary one. The primary goal is the value of the discussion in itself. Addressing these questions is an excellent way to keep our focus on our ethical lives and to fulfill the purpose of our meetings each time, whether or not we reach any group conclusions. A secondary goal, if it happens, is to have a collection of ideas that can be drawn upon or built upon going forward. If this happens, it will be a bonus on top of the primary goal of being in the moment with each other, talking about ethical lives, over these next five LED's.

Also, this Wednesday, I will quickly review with you my notes of your thoughts about LED in 2013 and beyond, and add your additional comments or corrections to my notes. Then I will share them with the Board, who has been collecting thoughts from the membership about all aspects of the Society.

Invitation open to members of the Society and their guests.
If you wish, you may RSVP Mr. Bob Greenwell by email.

Sunday, November 18th
10:30 AM 'til 11:30 AM
260 Brown Road in Saint Peters. (roadmap)

Sunday Lecture Series

"Forward"

Our speaker this Sunday is ESMR Leader Bob Greenwell.

He will give his final talk as ESMR's Leader, speaking about kinds of love. He'll expand upon the possibility that ethics is centered around love, in the sense that it may contain all virtues.

He will also share about his personal experience as our Leader including reflections on the future of Ethical Society Mid Rivers.

The general public is invited.
Questions? Comments? Contact Mr. Bob Greenwell by email.

Wednesday, November 14th
7:00 PM to 9:00 PM
Hosts: John H. & Lionel & Radison

Living Ethics Discussion

the topic is:
"Holistic Medicine"

Our speaker Sunday, Dr. Christy Jenkins, challenged us in several ways. She challenged us to eat better - eating 70% uncooked and 30% cooked foods, no processed foods, no meats with hormones in them (like eggs not specially marked "hormone free"), eating in the right combinations, eating dairy in moderation, and using digestive enzymes. She also challenged our scientific minds, our skeptical minds.

Chuck Fish showed me a paragraph in a book on the history of medicine talking about how primitive standard medicine was just 500 years ago. Is holistic medicine a throwback to more primitive thinking? Or is it a reaching back to reclaim some wisdom that is left out of our pure scientific approaches? Dr. Jenkins was a nurse working in conventional medicine before she shifted to holistic, naturopathic, integrative styles. She has a practice in St. Charles and her website is http://www.nathealthsol.com

For us, what is the ethical connection regarding what we eat?

Also, continue to think of ideas regarding the continuance of LED in the future. How to format? How often and when to schedule? Etc.

Invitation open to members of the Society and their guests.
If you wish, you may RSVP Mr. Bob Greenwell by email.

Sunday, November 11th
10:30 AM 'til 11:30 AM
260 Brown Road in Saint Peters. (roadmap)

Sunday Lecture Series

Holistic Medicine

Our guest speaker this Sunday is Dr. Christy Jenkins.

She will speak about holistic medicine.

Dr. Jenkins is a doctor of naturopathic medicine who has been Board Certified by the American Naturopathic Medical Board. A QRA Practitioner and currently enrolled in a PhD program for Integrative Medicine, her professional affiliations include the Fellowship of Anti-Aging, Regenerative, and Functional Medicine and the Pastoral Medical Association. She has practiced conventional medicine as a nurse in the fields of Psychology, Cardiology, and Internal Medicine. Currently she specializes in Geriatrics, Hormonal Therapy, Herbal Remedies and Weight Loss Management, as well as Natural Health Counseling. Dr. Jenkins is also a certified Parkinson's trainer. She hopes to teach her patients how to become ambassadors of their own health.

The general public is invited.
Questions? Comments? Contact Mr. Bob Greenwell by email.

Sunday, November 11th
9:30 AM 'til 10:00 AM
University of Missouri Extension Center
260 Brown Road in Saint Peters. (roadmap)

Delicious Pancake & Sausage Breakfast

"A Fun-Raiser Extraordinaire"

$5 for adults, $1 for kids under 12.

Thanks so much for supporting our last breakfast, and we look forward to seeing you at this one!

The general public is invited.

Wednesday, November 7th
7:00 PM to 8:45 PM
Host: Chuck F.
St. Charles County Library - Spencer Road Branch, Mtg Room 212
427 Spencer Road
Saint Peters, MO 63376
(636) 978-3251

Living Ethics Discussion

the topic is:
"Creating a Self-Facilitating LED"

First we'll discuss "Creating a Self-Facilitating LED". Ideas will be floated for continuing LED after Bob finishes his service as Leader and no longer facilitates it. You all can do this - and be more fulfilled in the process! This is the first of several discussions about continuing LED in a fresh, fun, and meaningful way. Perhaps we'll spend 45 minutes on this.

Then we'll move on to a more regular topic, and given that national elections have just occurred, the topic will allow some political comment: "Hate as a Form of Love". Consider this idea: Love and hate are not opposites. The opposite of love is something more like fear. Hate is simply the feeling you have toward perceived enemies of what you love. Hate is a derivation of love, in threatening circumstances. If so, then when you feel a twinge of hate in your heart, you don't need to berate yourself for falling in with the forces of evil, you can recognize that behind your hate for something is a love for something else. What ways can hate, as a version of love, get out of hand? What moments would you like to share with your close associates when you have felt some flare-up of hate, or felt yourself fighting against hating?

Invitation open to members of the Society and their guests.
If you wish, you may RSVP Mr. Bob Greenwell by email.

Sunday, November 4th
10:30 AM 'til 11:30 AM
260 Brown Road in Saint Peters. (roadmap)

Sunday Lecture Series

"I Went Solar And You Can Too!"

Our guest speaker this Sunday is Kathleen Kelly. She will explain how she had an 8kW photovoltaic (PV) system installed at her home including the capability to log onto a website and see how much electricity is being generated from sunshine that used to just bake the garage roof.

She says: "This will be a presentation partly of what I went through to get a PV system installed at my house, and also what it would take for YOU to go solar. I will answer as many questions as I can for people who are interested in going solar at their abodes. You will see pictures of our system, learn about financial incentives that are available, see how much a typical installation costs and produces, as well as learn the downside of this technology in its current form."

The general public is invited.
Questions? Comments? Contact Mr. Bob Greenwell by email.

Sunday, October 28th
noontime 'til about 1:00 PM
University of Missouri Extension Center
260 Brown Road in Saint Peters. (roadmap)

Potluck Dinner

It's Potluck Sunday! After the lecture, please join us for lunch.

The general public is invited.

Sunday, October 28th
10:30 AM 'til 11:30 AM
260 Brown Road in Saint Peters. (roadmap)

Sunday Lecture Series

"Psychology of Magic"

Our guest speaker this Sunday is Zi Teng Wang. He will speak about the Psychology of Magic, specifically, the neural mechanisms behind attention and the way magicians exploit it. He'll explain how human vision is constructed, how the eye is set up so that only a very small portion of it is actually capable of seeing detail and how our brains create the illusion of being able to see a coherent world, by filling in both spatial and temporal detail.

Zi will then demonstrate using simple, hands-on experiments that show how much your eyes can ACTUALLY see, and simple tricks that expose how your brain fills in information. He'll also walk through and break down a basic sleight of hand technique in magic for making a coin disappear, and go through, step by step, all the details and nuances that he's picked up over years of doing it, and talk about how each nuance and each detail work to fool the spectator's mind, all details which are explicitly correlated with the brain mechanisms dissected in the first part.

Zi Teng Wang is a Graduate Student working towards a PhD in Molecular Cell Biology. In his spare time, he practices and performs magic, thinks about the cosmos, and works to promote education and scientific literacy in whatever way he can.

The general public is invited.
Questions? Comments? Contact Mr. Bob Greenwell by email.

Wednesday, October 24th
7:00 PM to 9:00 PM
Hosts: Sarah V. & Craig B.

Living Ethics Discussion

the topic is:
"Well-Being of Society vs Well-Being of Individuals"

Both of these are ethically desirable.

In general, they tend to support each other. But sometimes they conflict.

Suppose our society is at war with another society. For our well-being, we are going to kill some individuals in that other society. Is this okay?

Suppose our society has determined from experience that its well-being is dependent upon its staying a tribal size. It has developed a moral code that approves of infanticide when the population starts to get too large. For the sake of the tribe, individual infants may be killed. Generally it is left to the mother to decide, because the tribe's experience is that mothers tend to deploy this act only when the baby seems in some way to be a burden on the tribe due to its abnormality or due to a lot of hunger in the tribe or other factors. In this case, given the tribe's conviction about its well-being, is infanticide okay?

Suppose our society is a tribe and it has determined that the moral tone (the morale) of the tribe stays high whenever the tribe insists and teaches that rights extend all the way down to unborn babies, and the tribe strictly enforces its taboo against abortion. Is this okay?

Was there anything discussed in the Presidential debates, or in the campaigns, that seem to illustrate a conflict of society's well-being in conflict with an individual's well-being?

Invitation open to members of the Society and their guests.
If you wish, you may RSVP Mr. Bob Greenwell by email.

Sunday, October 21st
10:30 AM 'til 11:30 AM
260 Brown Road in Saint Peters. (roadmap)

Sunday Special

Fall Festival!

One of our favorite times, when members create the experience.

Read or perform your original work or someone else's, whether a favorite Autumn poem, song, video or reading.

A time for imagination and ingenuity!

(contact Jill ASAP to let her know what you'll do)

The general public is invited.
Questions? Comments? Contact Mr. Bob Greenwell by email.

Wednesday, October 17th
7:00 PM to 9:00 PM
Host: Patti & Rob M.

Living Ethics Discussion

the topic is:
"A Person's Worth & a Person's Love"

Consider the expression, "Every human being has worth". What does this mean to you? Do you feel it's a fact? Do you feel it's idealistic?

Do some humans have more worth than others? Whatever worth means to you, how important is it to you?

One of the things said in the American Ethical Union's "Statement of Purpose" is: "Our commitment is to the worth and dignity of the individual."

Adler has a long section in his book An Ethical Philosophy of Life on the difference between worth and value. We have never accepted Adler's pronouncements as gospel, but from your own experience how might you imagine a difference between the worth of a person and the value of a person?

Adler also spoke about love, although not nearly as much as he spoke about worth. He founded the New York Society for Ethical Culture in 1876, and in the first year of his series of "lectures" to that first Ethical Society, he gave a talk called "The One Thing Needful". What was the one thing needful?

It was "love, active love."

Is it possible that our Ethical Movement is based, in practice, more on love than worth? What if our Statement of Purpose had this in it: "Our commitment is to love every individual".

Even more impossible than worth? Or more possible because more understandable? Maybe more possible because there are many forms of love?

Is love too easily trivialized or too easily romanticized to be used as a fundamental guide for a way of life? Are there good reasons for many men's reluctance to verbally say "I love you" (as is so commonly observed)?

Your thoughts about these questions will be much appreciated. And if you can think of a way in which your personal experience illustrates your view, or has led to your view, all the better.

Invitation open to members of the Society and their guests.
If you wish, you may RSVP Mr. Bob Greenwell by email.

Sunday, October 14th
10:30 AM 'til 11:30 AM
260 Brown Road in Saint Peters. (roadmap)

Sunday Lecture Series

"Ethics Basics: The Worth of a Person"

Leader Bob Greenwell expects to speak twice more to ESMR, and wants to speak about basics.

He writes:
This Sunday, I will take the very first talk I gave to ESMR, on Jan. 4, 2004, called "Worth" and combine it with two other talks I gave later that year on Seeing Worth in People Anyway, and then combine all these with what I've learned and experienced in the eight years since.

This ultimate principle - seeing worth in everyone - how is it even possible?

How is it realistic?

How can it be the basis of Ethical Culture?

The general public is invited.
Questions? Comments? Contact Mr. Bob Greenwell by email.

Sunday, October 14th
9:30 AM 'til 10:00 AM
University of Missouri Extension Center
260 Brown Road in Saint Peters. (roadmap)

Delicious Pancake & Sausage Breakfast

"A Fun-Raiser Extraordinaire"

$5 for adults, $1 for kids under 12.

Thanks so much for supporting our last breakfast, and we look forward to seeing you at this one!

The general public is invited.

Wednesday, October 10th
7:00 PM to 8:45 PM
Host: Chuck F.
St. Charles County Library - Spencer Road Branch, Mtg Room 210
427 Spencer Road
Saint Peters, MO 63376
(636) 978-3251

Living Ethics Discussion

the topic is:
"How Far to Stretch?"

Last Sunday we heard the truly inspiring story of how two women, in 1984, started a movement in the inner city of St. Louis to cultivate gardens in empty lots, to help people with nutritious and very low-cost food staples like potatoes and tomatoes and collard greens, and also, as a bonus, to build community among neighbors.

The movement grew, in time became incorporated, and is today called Gateway Greening.

Currently there are over 200 gardens throughout the metro area, operated by local neighbors, with substantial material help and expertise from Gateway Greening. And that's just the beginning. They now partner with many schools to help urban kids understand agriculture (and develop moral qualities associated with that work: industriousness, patience, appreciation for nature, rhythms of life...) and have a 2.5 acre farm and much more.

It all came from the ground up. It all came from two women deciding to do something.

These two women, and many others like them, are role models for us. Do we need to do something like this to qualify as being ethical? Or does one simply need to stretch a bit? Stretch beyond one's comfort zone? Just the slightest bit?

Invitation open to members of the Society and their guests.
If you wish, you may RSVP Mr. Bob Greenwell by email.

Sunday, October 7th
10:30 AM 'til 11:30 AM
260 Brown Road in Saint Peters. (roadmap)

Sunday Lecture Series

"Community Development Through Urban Agriculture"

Gateway Greening has been building gardens and beautifying the St. Louis area since 1984. However, its mission is more than just growing flowers and vegetables, focusing on community development, education, and empowerment.

Ryan Barker will discuss the core components of the organization and how it works to achieve its mission of strengthening communities through urban agriculture.

Barker has been the Community Educator at Gateway Greening since 2010. He holds a Master's in Landscape Architecture from the University of Minnesota and was a graduate of the 2010 St. Louis Master Gardener class.

The general public is invited.
Questions? Comments? Contact Mr. Bob Greenwell by email.

Wednesday, October 3rd
7:00 PM to 9:00 PM
Host: Dee M.

Living Ethics Discussion

special LED:
Debate Party!

A little different format this evening - random raucous comments, plus libation allowed! (BYOB)

During the 7-8 hour, we'll watch an 18-minute TEDTalk, then we'll talk about it. At 8 pm, we watch the Presidential Debate on TV, estimated to last 90 minutes (could be shorter).

The TEDTalk, an interview with Gordon Brown, former Prime Minister of the UK, is titled Global Ethic vs Nationalism. It deals with global politics, and will enlarge our perspective as we get ready to focus on national politics.

Here are some thoughts to prepare you for his talk:

Gordon Brown talks about a Global Ethic. We say, well sure, of course. That's a no-brainer, right? Not really. Not in the world of international politics. In international politics, the way a country behaves toward other nations and other peoples depends upon the global ethic that they adopt.

There are three basic global ethics that currently rule the world. They are: Realism, Liberalism, and Socialism. [See book by Michael Doyle, Ways of War and Peace: Realism, Liberalism, and Socialism.]

The United States has been dominated since WWII by the global ethic of Realism. Realism holds that ordinary ethics does not hold in the affairs of nations. It holds that that the only thing that matters is national interest. Realism holds that only authority backed up by power and the credible threat of force can bring about any stability in the world and protect one's own nation. The realists hold that it's the moral obligation of rulers of nations to ignore ordinary ethics and to act entirely from national self-interest. For the pure realists, it's unethical to be generous for the sake of generosity, unethical to feel empathy for other nations, unethical to give up weapons or weaken your national defense in any way.

The global ethic of Liberalism emphasizes that individual people have rights which nations must respect. Particularly, it emphasizes the rights of people to make a living and be entrepreneurs and build up businesses and accumulate wealth. It emphasizes these rights against the power of government and favors as little government interference in individuals' rights as possible. (The word "liberalism" in the global ethic of liberalism is also called "Classic Liberalism" and is not equivalent to political divisions in the U.S. between liberals and conservatives.)

The global ethic of Socialism emphasizes the same individual rights that Classical Liberalism emphasizes, but adds additional rights of well-being, such as rights to educations, rights to equal opportunity. Socialism observes that economic systems can do just as much injustice against individuals as big governments do against individuals. Socialism therefore asks for at least as much government as necessary to curb the excesses of capitalism, and to collectively guarantee basic living rights.

So worldwide, there are these three ethics. Each has many variations, but these are the three basic kinds: Realism, Liberalism, and Socialism. Let's see if we can sense any of these behind Gordon Brown's comments, or if in some way he is proposing something new.

Invitation open to members of the Society and their guests.
If you wish, you may RSVP Mr. Bob Greenwell by email.