My “"in the eye of the beholder": beauty, ethics, religion” post to LIM {at:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/LessIsMore/message/12371 (after signing-in)},
  (at 09:14 AM 2003-11-01 +1300), had:

At 10:59 AM 2003-10-31 -0600, Diane wrote, answering Gary who was actually responding to Lis's post:
>[Gary: ]
>> Regarding organized religion, my own personal view actually
>> approaches that of David.  There is a great danger in confusing
>> "morality" for ethics, a blurring now consciously being promoted by
>> our current Administration.  
>
>[Diane: ]
>I am not sure I understand how morality differs from ethics.  Or do you mean fundamentalist Christian morality, as compared to other types of morality?
>I see morality as being something almost everyone has.  They just have different foundations for their morality.
>

· First, about ethics.

At 12:07 PM 2003-10-28 +1300, I wrote to LIM, in "ethical choices ..." {at:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/LessIsMore/message/12301 }:
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 {Referring to earlier, in July: "long-distance phone ...; dichotomy" (at: 
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/LessIsMore/message/11037 ) where I said:}

· I found myself thinking back to other less-than-obvious ethical choices.

(1) I could have chosen organic breakfast-biscuits made in Australia or locally-made-by-less-advantaged Weetbix, GM-free but not organic; Weetbix.

(2) I could have continued to support local delivery of non-homogenised non-
organic milk or chosen homogenised organic-farm milk, both from a company we have tried to boycott since the 1980s when it went from re-used glass bottles to plasticised cartons and recyclable plastic bottles. For most of a
year I chose the homogenised organic-farm milk in plastic bottles since the welfare of the cattle was more important to me than the other two factors.
  Fortunately, an organic baker arrived (Stephanie Mark) who used enough milk that the competitor milk-supply company was willing to deliver (once a week) to her shop in our village, so our family now uses non-homogenised full-cream organic milk, delivered to her (whom I pay).
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· A lecturer in philosophy at Waikato University asked me whether he could use the Weetbix/Uncle-Toby's breakfast-biscuit ethical choice as an example of how ethics can be used in a wider sphere than in religious-moral-life type choices. And there is a whole business now: Ethical Investment Funds.

· I assume: morals, morality and moral choices, are talking about the same sorts of things. People following the precepts of a way-of-life, a code for living, which comes from outside themselves (a god, organised religion, or perhaps a particular philosophical teacher/guru).


· Years ago I started to wonder whether comments like "what a beautiful day"
and "that's a beautiful picture" were being used as mutual education, indoctrination perhaps; wanting to create a common ground of what sights are found to be desirable, attractive. Intentionally creating a mutually agreeable world-view - a reason why LIM is so active, IMO.

· "Beauty is in the eye of the beholder" shows I'm not alone in the opinion that Beauty (at least) is an overlay, created by humans for their own purpose (e.g. to express a feeling), rather than: intrinsic to what is being looked at, still true if there had never been any humans.

· A few minutes ago I re-opened two tins of beans (chili and plain) which I'd left in the fridge for several weeks while I gradually use them up as replacement protein when I carry a heavy load for an hour twice a week.
  They had once again grown small patches of mould, fingernail shaped, with a white furry outer ring and a grey dusty main part. Curved 3-dimensionally
in the shape of the two underlying beans.

· Carefully lifting one out and carrying it to my wife, I said: "_I_ think that's beautiful", and she agreed. She and my daughter have real artistic ability.

· It's obvious to me that beauty is part of a human world-view rather than an essential characteristic of the world.


· I see religion (I'm not so sure about spirituality) as something the homo group of species has created, in a similar way to ethics and beauty. More useful for keeping groups working together for the greater good than most other aspects of a person's world-view, but still homo-sapiens created.

David.