Ethics

The Ethics of metaculture is based on Utilitarianism, but with some evidence-based solutions to the various problems of utilitarianism that have been raised by critics.

The reason for Utilitarianism is that it is the only ethical system that is potentially subject to scientific inquiry, as long as good can be quantified objectively. Since evolution has correlated what is good for humans with what gives us happiness, if we can measure the happiness of a population we can tell if what we are doing is good, at least relative to other societies we've been able to study.

You Can't Measure Happiness

A common objection is to dismiss the idea that happiness can be measured. But there are a number of ways to measure happiness and while they may not perfectly capture the state of mind of any individual, they do give good aggregate results that say whether a large population is able to achieve satisfaction in life.

Therefore, an ethical utilitarian society would seek to constantly increase the measured aggregate happiness in its people.

Oppressing a Minority To Make The Majority Happy

The other most common objection to utilitarianism is the notion that in some imagined scenario, killing, enslaving, or otherwise depriving one person or group of their happiness would somehow result in a greater level of happiness for the rest. In this case the math simply doesn't work out, mostly due to the fact that oppressing others doesn't actually lead to happiness due to fundamental aspects of human psychology and empathy. Oppressive and authoritarian societies are never as happy as free and egalitarian ones.

What Are The Rules?

Saying that people should practice utilitarian ethics is easy. Doing the necessary research to determine the best course of action personally as well as in politics and economics is hard. Fortunately there have been many brilliant people throughout history who have worked on this and we can summarize their research into something easy and practical that can be applied in your daily life.

Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.