CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THIS EBOOK

Universally
Preferable
Behaviour

A Rational Proof of
Secular Ethics

Stefan Molyneux, MA
Host, Freedomain Radio.
 Universally Preferable Behaviour
A Rational Proof of Secular Ethics

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Foreword... .................................................................................... ... 8

Ground Rules... ....................................................................... .. 12

A Modest Suggestion…............................................................. ... 17

Introduction................................................................................. .. 19
The “Null Zone”... ................................................................... .. 20
The Casualties ... ................................................................... ... 22
“Middle Truths”... ................................................................... .. 24
“Middle Truths” and Exploitation........................................ .. 27
Effective Parasitism... ............................................................. . 30

A Framework for Ethics ... ......................................................... . 34

Objective Truth... .................................................................... .. 35
Truth and Objective Reality... ........................................... . 37
Accuracy and Consistency... ............................................... . 38
The Existence of “Truth” ... ................................................... .. 40
Empiricism versus Rationality ... ..................................... .. 41

Internal Consistency... .............................................................. ... 42

Ethics ... ........................................................................................ . 45

The Discipline of Theoretical Ethics... ................................. .. 46
Self-Defeating Arguments ..................................................... . 48

Preferences... ............................................................................... .. 51
Preferences and Existence... ................................................ ... 52
Preferences and Arguments... ............................................. ... 53

-3-
 Preferences and Universality... ........................................... ...53
Arguments and Universality... ............................................. ..55
Premise 1: We Both Exist.................................................. ..55
Premise 2: The Senses have the Capacity for
Accuracy... ............................................................................ ..55
Premise 3: Language has the Capacity for Meaning56
Premise 4: Correction Requires Universal Preferences56
Premise 5: An Objective Methodology Exists For
Separating Truth From Falsehood ... ............................. ...56
Premise 6: Truth Is Better Than Falsehood... .............. ...57
Premise 7: Peaceful Debating is the Best Way to
Resolve Disputes... .............................................................. ..57
Premise 8: Individuals are Responsible for their Actions
.58

Universally Preferable Behaviour ... ...................................... ...60

UPB and Validity... ............................................................... ...61
Moral Rules: A Definition................................................... .65
UPB: Five Proofs..................................................................... ..66
UPB: Optional and Objective............................................. .71
UPB: The Practice ... ......................................................... ...73
UPB: The Framework... ..................................................... ..78

UPB: Ethics or Aesthetics?... ................................................... ...79

Irrationality... ........................................................................... .80
Lying... ...................................................................................... ..80
Murder ...................................................................................... .81
Requirements for Ethics... .................................................... ...81
Choice... ..................................................................................... .82
Avoidance... ............................................................................. ...83
Avoidance and Initiation ... ............................................... ..84
Ethics, Aesthetics and Avoidability... .................................. ..85

Initiation... .................................................................................. ...88

The Non-Aggression Principle (NAP)................................. ...89

Lifeboat Scenarios... .................................................................. ...92

-4-
 Gray Areas.............................................................................. ... 93
Shades of Gray ... ..................................................................... . 94
Universality and Exceptions... ............................................. .. 95
The Purpose - and the Dangers ... ....................................... ... 97

The Beast ... ................................................................................ ... 98

Propaganda... ......................................................................... ... 99

Ethical Categories... .................................................................. . 105

The Seven Categories... ...................................................... ... 105
Virtue and its Opposite ... .................................................... . 106
What is Missing ... ............................................................... ... 107

The First Test: Rape ... ........................................................... ... 108

1. The Good............................................................................ .. 108
The Coma Test... .............................................................. ... 110
Capacity... ......................................................................... ... 111
2. Aesthetically Positive... .................................................... . 112
3. Personally Positive... ....................................................... ... 114
4. Morally Neutral... ............................................................. .. 116
5. Personally Negative ... ..................................................... .. 116
6. Aesthetically Negative ... ............................................... ... 117
7. Evil... .................................................................................. .. 118
Whew! .................................................................................... .. 119

The Second Test: Murder... ..................................................... .. 121

Self-Defense? ... ..................................................................... .. 124

The Third Test: Theft... .......................................................... ... 125

Property and UPB... ............................................................. .. 128
The Gray Areas .................................................................... .. 130
Property as Universality ... .................................................. . 132
Testing “Theft” ... ................................................................... . 134

The Fourth Test: Fraud ........................................................... . 138

The Fifth Test: Lying... ........................................................... ... 141

-5-
More Challenging Tests of UPB ............................................. .144
Self-Defense... ........................................................................ ..144
Child Raising ... ...................................................................... .147
“Don’t Eat Fish”... ...................................................................152
Animal Rights ... .....................................................................154

The Value of Universally Preferable Behaviour... ................159

The “Null Zone” Revisited... ......................................................160

Bigotry... ...................................................................................161
Next Stop: the “Alternate Universe”... ............................... .163

Existence versus Non-Existence ... ..........................................165

The “Alternate Universe” in Human Society... ..................167
UPB In Action... ..................................................................168
Government ... ........................................................................ .169
Opinions and Reality ... .........................................................171
Government as Voluntarism... .............................................172
The Gun in the Room... ..........................................................173
Policemen... ..............................................................................175
Practicality ... ......................................................................... .178
The Necessity of the State? ... ...............................................181
Governments and Religion................................................... .188
Taxation ... ......................................................................... ..190
Government, Religion and UPB ... .......................................191
Religion and UPB ... ...........................................................193
UPB and “The Majority” ...................................................194
Majority Rule...................................................................... .196

Additional Proofs... .................................................................... .197

The free-market economy... ................................................. ..197
The Scientific Method... ........................................................ .198
Public Education... ..................................................................198

Parallels ... .................................................................................. .200

Solutions...................................................................................202
The Future... ............................................................................203

-6-
Conclusions... ........................................................................... ... 205

Appendix A: UPB in a Nutshell ............................................ .. 211

Appendix B: Moral Categories... ............................................. . 213

Appendix C: UPB Podcasts... .................................................. . 214

Appendix D: Every UPB Debate I’ve Ever Had…... ............ . 216

Index... ...................................................................................... ... 218

-7-