ethics (ethical dynamics)-chapter 7

59
December 2010 © Abraham Chiasson 1

Upload: moineau1

Post on 08-Aug-2015

155 views

Category:

Government & Nonprofit


0 download

TRANSCRIPT

Page 1: Ethics (ethical dynamics)-Chapter 7

December 2010 © Abraham Chiasson 1

Page 2: Ethics (ethical dynamics)-Chapter 7

Chapter 7 Growing an Ecology of Mind and CommunityStep 2: Social Goods – Core Values / Ethical Structure

Prelude:

We exist in a world of social relationships driven by social qualities – its We exist in a world of social relationships driven by social qualities – its energies -, and social goods - its realities -.energies -, and social goods - its realities -.

 In this world, we are:

‘Co-creators’ of our own world and the world of all those who we share it with,

Via a network of production processes in which the function of each component (individual, institution or society) is to participate in its transformation and that of the other components,

For the maintenance and growth of the network’s own (structural) integrity as a living system – our human social system -

December 2010 © Abraham Chiasson 2

Page 3: Ethics (ethical dynamics)-Chapter 7

Chapter 7 Growing an Ecology of Mind and CommunityStep 2: Social Goods – Core Values / Ethical Structure

In our ‘human social system’:

Social goods in synergy with related social qualities shape who we are - our core human potentialities - as individuals, institutions and society.

Social goods like social qualities bond us together – give us a common reality – as examples, via their embedded domain stories and institutional knowledge – those that brought them to life - in the world of our cognitive (social) structures and potentialities.

December 2010 © Abraham Chiasson 3

Page 4: Ethics (ethical dynamics)-Chapter 7

Chapter 7 Growing an Ecology of Mind and CommunityStep 2: Social Goods – Core Values / Ethical Structure

In our ‘human social system’...:

Social goods (and social qualities) via their synergy with our core values – ethical aspirations - give ‘ethical’ meaning to our social functions: ‘stewardship, governance, and management’.

Social goods are only ‘social goods’ inasmuch as they are associated with relevant core values – ethical aspirations -. The richer the links to ‘desired’ core values, the ‘richer’ the social goods.

December 2010 © Abraham Chiasson 4

Page 5: Ethics (ethical dynamics)-Chapter 7

Chapter 7 Growing an Ecology of Mind and CommunityStep 2: Social Goods – Core Values / Ethical Structure

In our ‘human social system’, social goods will be described:

1. In their synergistic relationship with social qualities – the social energy driving ‘institutional’ domain contributions – and,

2. With their synergistic relationship - social qualities and social goods - with ethics: core values / ethical aspirations, ethical principles and norms and, relationship commitments and qualities.

December 2010 © Abraham Chiasson 5

Page 6: Ethics (ethical dynamics)-Chapter 7

Chapter 7 Growing an Ecology of Mind and CommunityStep 2: Social Goods – Core Values / Ethical Structure

As with social qualities, social goods are the ‘heart’ of ethical dynamics: both the result of ethical dynamics and the driver of ethical dynamics as a whole.

December 2010 © Abraham Chiasson 6

Human Potentialities

Social Goods –

Social Qualities

Social Potentialities

Cognitive(Social)

Structures &Potentialities

Socio-Political

Structures

Socio-Political

Dynamics

InstitutionalDimensions

/InstitutionalFramework

Ethics

Stewardship Governance / Management

Page 7: Ethics (ethical dynamics)-Chapter 7

Chapter 7 Growing an Ecology of Mind and CommunityStep 2: Social Goods – Core Values / Ethical Structure

The journey – Chapter 7:

What are social goods – an example: automobiles

Social goods – their nature and characteristics (1)

Creating a relevant synergy between ethics and the world of our social qualities and social goods via our core social functions (2)

Summary: The elemets of this necessary synergy: institution / landscape, realities (3)

December 2010 © Abraham Chiasson 7

Page 8: Ethics (ethical dynamics)-Chapter 7

Chapter 7 Growing an Ecology of Mind and CommunityStep 2: Social Goods – Core Values / Ethical Structure

Social goods – an example: automobiles…

Automobiles (as social goods) are the result of – driven by – as an example, our historic vision and hope as human potentialities for easy mobility and,

  The product of increasingly sophisticated domain

contributions (e.g., theories) – from the wheel to gasoline engines - in many institutional contexts.

From a socio-political perspective, their legitimacy is dependent on the authority and power that their manufacturers can garner from consumers and society for their production.

December 2010 © Abraham Chiasson 8

Page 9: Ethics (ethical dynamics)-Chapter 7

Chapter 7 Growing an Ecology of Mind and CommunityStep 2: Social Goods – Core Values / Ethical Structure

Social goods – an example: automobiles…

In the world of social potentialities and institutional dimensions, automobiles depend on social qualities to provide the ‘social energy’ for their production e.g., those connected with a sense of belonging and contribution ‘on the factory floor’ and,

Those social qualities associated with the need for synergy and accountability to its broader societal context such as ‘fairness’ on its socio-political landscapes.

December 2010 © Abraham Chiasson 9

Page 10: Ethics (ethical dynamics)-Chapter 7

Chapter 7 Growing an Ecology of Mind and CommunityStep 2: Social Goods – Core Values / Ethical Structure

Social goods – an example: automobiles…

Relative to core values of individuals and society, automobiles are dependent on e.g., the tradeoff between concerns for a healthy environment and, efficient individual transportation.

In summary, social goods – automobiles -, in synergy with social qualities – competence and productivity -, are both the result of ethical dynamics, but also the drivers of our ethical realities and dynamics.

No social goods – no ethical dynamics!

December 2010 © Abraham Chiasson 10

Page 11: Ethics (ethical dynamics)-Chapter 7

Chapter 7 Growing an Ecology of Mind and CommunityStep 2: Social Goods – Core Values / Ethical Structure

1- Social goods – nature and characteristics -

Social goods are associated with how we bring about our world:

1) Our human potentialities (forces) e.g., for vision and hope;

2) Cognitive (social) structures and potentialities;

3) Socio-political structures (domains, institutions...);

4) Institutional and societal socio-political dynamics;

5) Our institutional dimensions, social potentialities and resulting social qualities; and,

6) Our social functions: stewardship, governance and management

December 2010 © Abraham Chiasson 11

Page 12: Ethics (ethical dynamics)-Chapter 7

Chapter 7 Growing an Ecology of Mind and CommunityStep 2: Social Goods – Core Values / Ethical Structure

1- Social goods – nature and characteristics – ...

1) Social goods and our human potentialities (forces):

Social goods (more simply, human goods) are driven by our core human potentialities or forces – those that compel us to become ‘all that we are capable of becoming’ as individuals, institutions and societies i.e., our potential for:

Consciousness, conscious will,

Sense of self, ‘personal’ identity,

Vision and hope

December 2010 © Abraham Chiasson 12

Page 13: Ethics (ethical dynamics)-Chapter 7

Chapter 7 Growing an Ecology of Mind and CommunityStep 2: Social Goods – Core Values / Ethical Structure

1- Social goods – nature and characteristics – ...

1) Social goods and our human potentialities (forces):

Social goods contribute to our ‘becoming human or more human’ - with its ‘ups and downs’ - they can be associated with:

Feelings in the case of music or poetry (joy or sorrow)

Material objects (our things) - our ‘human’ creations large and small

Social characteristics – peace, justice and solidarity

‘Personal or Self’ characteristics – integrity, health and attractiveness

December 2010 © Abraham Chiasson 13

Page 14: Ethics (ethical dynamics)-Chapter 7

Chapter 7 Growing an Ecology of Mind and CommunityStep 2: Social Goods – Core Values / Ethical Structure

1- Social goods – nature and characteristics – ...

1) Social goods and our human potentialities (forces):

Understanding the nature and characteristics of social goods is first understanding what they mean for each one of our human potentialities e.g.,

The nature of their contribution to our consciousness and conscious will either as individuals, institutions or society.

In the following, we will take the example of automobiles to describe what social goods may mean ‘mainly’ for an individual (the same analysis could be made for an institution or society).

December 2010 © Abraham Chiasson 14

Page 15: Ethics (ethical dynamics)-Chapter 7

Chapter 7 Growing an Ecology of Mind and CommunityStep 2: Social Goods – Core Values / Ethical Structure

1- Social goods – nature and characteristics – ...

1) Social goods and our human potentialities (forces):

Consciousness – automobiles often enhance the individual’s sense of possibilities e.g., for mobility, freedom… and, via automobile aesthetics, open up a new universe of symbolic ‘social’ qualities e.g., those related to a sense of power and of social importance.

Conscious will - generally, automobiles have appealed to individuals because of their potential for empowering them and freeing them from the need to use human power for mobility.

December 2010 © Abraham Chiasson 15

Page 16: Ethics (ethical dynamics)-Chapter 7

Chapter 7 Growing an Ecology of Mind and CommunityStep 2: Social Goods – Core Values / Ethical Structure

1- Social goods – nature and characteristics – ...

1) Social goods and our human potentialities (forces):

Sense of self – automobiles often provide via their ‘emotional’ connection with the self, a sense of independence – of distinctiveness – from others (however great this may be an illusion).

Personal identity – automobiles by being of many brands and configurations provide for the enhancement of – or for specifically choosing – our social identity as it may be related to automobiles and their larger societal symbolic meaning.

December 2010 © Abraham Chiasson 16

Page 17: Ethics (ethical dynamics)-Chapter 7

Chapter 7 Growing an Ecology of Mind and CommunityStep 2: Social Goods – Core Values / Ethical Structure

1- Social goods – nature and characteristics –

1) Social goods and our human potentialities (forces):

Vision - automobiles by their speed, maneuverability and being part of a specific world of aesthetics can both connect to and enhance an individual’s sense of beauty and contribute to his / her overall vision of the world.

Sense of hope – automobiles can also contribute to an individual’s faith in the world e.g., ‘we are not tied to one geographical space on the planet’, and thereby to his / her sense of hope.

December 2010 © Abraham Chiasson 17

Page 18: Ethics (ethical dynamics)-Chapter 7

Chapter 7 Growing an Ecology of Mind and CommunityStep 2: Social Goods – Core Values / Ethical Structure

1- Social goods – nature and characteristics – ...

1) Social goods and our human potentialities (forces): In summary,

Automobiles as ‘social goods’ are in a synergistic relationship with a number of core values e.g., those related to freedom or personal autonomy, and social ‘recognition’.

Automobiles as ‘social goods’ also contribute to an individual or to society’s ethical structure - its hierarchy of ethical aspirations -.

Efforts at understanding and transforming ‘core values’ will have to deal with the relationship between core values and related social goods as they impact on our human potentialities.

December 2010 © Abraham Chiasson 18

Page 19: Ethics (ethical dynamics)-Chapter 7

Chapter 7 Growing an Ecology of Mind and CommunityStep 2: Social Goods – Core Values / Ethical Structure

1- Social goods – nature and characteristics – ...

2) Social goods and our cognitive (social) structures and potentialities:

Social goods – under the impetus of our human forces – take shape via our cognitive (social) structures and potentialities, those serving to bring about our ‘realities’, be they automobiles, or ‘political’ goods such as social justice or world peace.

December 2010 © Abraham Chiasson 19

Page 20: Ethics (ethical dynamics)-Chapter 7

Chapter 7 Growing an Ecology of Mind and CommunityStep 2: Social Goods – Core Values / Ethical Structure

1- Social goods – nature and characteristics – ...

2) Social goods and our cognitive (social) structures and potentialities:

Automobiles (as social goods) are the product of a distinctive set of cognitive (social) structures, as examples:

‘Domain’ contributions in the field of engines and tires...

‘Institutions’ – for the mediation of domain contributions towards the manufacturing of ‘cars’...

‘Societies – for providing a relevant ‘institutional framework’ for the production, sale and, maintenance of ‘cars’.

December 2010 © Abraham Chiasson 20

Page 21: Ethics (ethical dynamics)-Chapter 7

Chapter 7 Growing an Ecology of Mind and CommunityStep 2: Social Goods – Core Values / Ethical Structure

1- Social goods – nature and characteristics – ...

2) Social goods and our cognitive (social) structures and potentialities:

Automobiles (as social goods) are the product of a distinctive set of cognitive characteristics, as examples:

Domain stories related successes in racing, or to specific theories related to automotive engineering e.g., all wheel drive...

Societal aesthetics - flowing lines and preferred colors - , or to societal ethics related to the economic benefits of cheap mobility versus that of social status.

December 2010 © Abraham Chiasson 21

Page 22: Ethics (ethical dynamics)-Chapter 7

Chapter 7 Growing an Ecology of Mind and CommunityStep 2: Social Goods – Core Values / Ethical Structure

1- Social goods – nature and characteristics – ...

2) Social goods and our cognitive (social) structures and potentialities – in summary – :

‘Automobile’ stories, contribution values and theories will be crucial for the automobile company’s institutional cognitive characteristics e.g., its ethos, ethics and knowledge, as mediator of myriad domain contributions within the company and,

In its institutional landscape relationships e.g., in competition for valuable resources… and, in its contribution to society’s overall social goods (and, ethical aspirations).

December 2010 © Abraham Chiasson 22

Page 23: Ethics (ethical dynamics)-Chapter 7

Chapter 7 Growing an Ecology of Mind and CommunityStep 2: Social Goods – Core Values / Ethical Structure

1- Social goods – nature and characteristics – ...

3) Social goods and our socio-political structures:

December 2010 © Abraham Chiasson 23

Socio-Political

Landscapes

Domains

Institutions

(Individuals &

Societies)

Page 24: Ethics (ethical dynamics)-Chapter 7

Chapter 7 Growing an Ecology of Mind and CommunityStep 2: Social Goods – Core Values / Ethical Structure

1- Social goods – nature and characteristics – ...

3) Social goods and our socio-political structures (domains, institutions and, socio-political landscapes):

Domains express what social goods have merit – are worth pursuing - on our socio-political landscapes (and vice versa).

Institutions (individuals & societies) are the social ‘mecanisms’ that harness human and social ‘energies’ for the production of social goods.

Socio-political landscapes define the importance to be given to our social goods and, provide the resources for producing them.

December 2010 © Abraham Chiasson 24

Page 25: Ethics (ethical dynamics)-Chapter 7

Chapter 7 Growing an Ecology of Mind and CommunityStep 2: Social Goods – Core Values / Ethical Structure

1- Social goods – nature and characteristics – ...

3) Social goods and our socio-political structures (domains, institutions and, socio-political landscapes):

Social goods also define those ‘related’ domains that will have socio-political importance.

Domains are in a synergistic relationship with social goods, each grows or withers with the other.

Domains evolve over time to reflect those social goods that are useful for the growth of our human potentialities e.g., automobiles over the horse and buggy, word processors over the typewriter....

December 2010 © Abraham Chiasson 25

Page 26: Ethics (ethical dynamics)-Chapter 7

Chapter 7 Growing an Ecology of Mind and CommunityStep 2: Social Goods – Core Values / Ethical Structure

1- Social goods – nature and characteristics – ...

3) Social goods and our socio-political structures (domains, institutions and, socio-political landscapes):

Institutions (individuals & societies) are the social ‘mecanisms’ that harness human and social ‘energies’ for the production of social goods.

Institutional cognitive potentialities e.g., aesthetics and ethics, serve to bring together e.g., a diverse sense of beauty and contribution values, in the production of relevant social goods.

Institutions (along with their organizations) are the ‘actual’ producers of social goods via ‘their’ domain contributions to their overall socio-political landscapes.

December 2010 © Abraham Chiasson 26

Page 27: Ethics (ethical dynamics)-Chapter 7

Chapter 7 Growing an Ecology of Mind and CommunityStep 2: Social Goods – Core Values / Ethical Structure

1- Social goods – nature and characteristics – ...

3) Social goods and our socio-political structures (domains, institutions and, socio-political landscapes):

Socio-political landscapes define the importance to be given to our social goods and, provide the resources for producing them. To do so:

Socio-political landscapes provide for the articulation of a hierarchy of social goods and, a hierarchy of institutions relevant to their production (e.g., car companies are more important than horse-driven ‘buggy’ companies) and,

Provide for the necessary network of ‘productive’ socio-political relationships (by giving ‘resources’ to car companies).

December 2010 © Abraham Chiasson 27

Page 28: Ethics (ethical dynamics)-Chapter 7

Chapter 7 Growing an Ecology of Mind and CommunityStep 2: Social Goods – Core Values / Ethical Structure

1- Social goods – nature and characteristics – ...

4) Social goods and our institutional and societal socio-political dynamics:

Social goods are the result of institutional / landscape dynamics in their social context - institutional products becoming social goods for their social context – the product of their social context and its socio-political dynamics -, those of ‘authority and power’.

As an example, domain qualities related to automobiles must compete with the domain qualities (and other cognitive characteristics) of other domains that share the same general ethical aspirations.

December 2010 © Abraham Chiasson 28

Page 29: Ethics (ethical dynamics)-Chapter 7

Chapter 7 Growing an Ecology of Mind and CommunityStep 2: Social Goods – Core Values / Ethical Structure

1- Social goods – nature and characteristics – ...

4) Social goods and our institutional and societal socio-political dynamics:

Understanding the nature and characteristics of social goods obliges us to understand their synergy with the landscape’s socio-political dynamics i.e., those of ‘authority and power’, aimed at making sense and providing for effective action e.g.,

Automobiles must compete on their socio-political landscape for authority e.g., with buses and airplanes for long-range travel and, with bicycles in the city… and for power, the means of producing them e.g., human and physical capital, while also making a contribution to the landscape’s broader ethical aspirations.

December 2010 © Abraham Chiasson 29

Page 30: Ethics (ethical dynamics)-Chapter 7

Chapter 7 Growing an Ecology of Mind and CommunityStep 2: Social Goods – Core Values / Ethical Structure

1- Social goods – nature and characteristics – ...

4) Social goods and our institutional and societal socio-political dynamics:

To understand social goods as the product of institutional / societal socio-political dynamics, we need to understand:

Their synergy with the landscape’s broader core values - its overall ethical structure; and,

How their synergy with key ethical aspirations has served in the creation of our institutional and societal cognitive characteristics e.g., societal universe, order, ethos, sense of aesthetics, ethics, ideology and knowledge.

December 2010 © Abraham Chiasson 30

Institutional /

Societal Goods

Ethical Structure Socio-Political

Dynamics

Institutional / Societal

CognitiveCharacteristics

Page 31: Ethics (ethical dynamics)-Chapter 7

Chapter 7 Growing an Ecology of Mind and CommunityStep 2: Social Goods – Core Values / Ethical Structure

1- Social goods – nature and characteristics - ...

4) Social goods and our institutional and societal socio-political dynamics:

In summary, social goods are always in synergy with their institutional and socio-political landscapes, their dynamics and, ethical structure. As a consequence,

Institutions participate via their domain contributions (e.g., automobiles) in the creation and development of all other institutions - their institutional characteristics and products.

E.g., state institutions share in the characteristics and products of those related to production (e.g., its buildings) or civil society (e.g., the social communication networks of political parties).

December 2010 © Abraham Chiasson 31

Page 32: Ethics (ethical dynamics)-Chapter 7

Chapter 7 Growing an Ecology of Mind and CommunityStep 2: Social Goods – Core Values / Ethical Structure

1- Social goods – nature and characteristics

5) Social goods and our institutional dimensions, social potentialities and resulting social qualities:

Specifically, social goods are the result of:

Their institutional context and its key dimensions e.g., production, state, community,

The social potentialities driving its key institutional dimensions e.g., contribution, synergy, belonging, and,

The resultant social qualities e.g., productivity, cooperation, compassion, characterizing its institutional energy.

December 2010 © Abraham Chiasson 32

Page 33: Ethics (ethical dynamics)-Chapter 7

Chapter 7 Growing an Ecology of Mind and CommunityStep 2: Social Goods – Core Values / Ethical Structure

1- Social goods – nature and characteristics - ...

5) Social goods and our institutional dimensions, social potentialities and resulting social qualities:

Understanding social goods such as ‘societal governance’ from the perspective of ‘state’ institutional mediations would require that we understand:

The state’s social and historical realities or, its historical social qualities (... democratic) and key social goods (... social justice),

The result of social potentialities driving state institutional dimensions e.g., the nature of ‘synergy’ – participative or hierarchical,

The social qualities characterizing ‘state’ energy e.g., how universal is ‘compassion’ as a social quality in state mediations?

December 2010 © Abraham Chiasson 33

Page 34: Ethics (ethical dynamics)-Chapter 7

Chapter 7 Growing an Ecology of Mind and CommunityStep 2: Social Goods – Core Values / Ethical Structure

1- Social goods – nature and characteristics - ...

5) Social goods and our institutional dimensions, social potentialities and resulting social qualities: an example,

In a ‘traditional society’, social potentialities for synergy, accountability, and destiny were associated with the Church or, say the Monarch.

Social qualities e.g., ‘respect for authority‘, would have been in synergy with ‘strong group solidarity’ and the ‘maintenance of hierarchical order’ as social goods.

‘Respect for authority’ as a social quality and, ‘strong group solidarity and maintenance of a hierarchical order’ as social goods were vital components of that society’s core ethical aspirations, along with ethical principles characterized by ‘command and control’ in all of its key institutions from the state to the family.

December 2010 © Abraham Chiasson 34

Page 35: Ethics (ethical dynamics)-Chapter 7

Chapter 7 Growing an Ecology of Mind and CommunityStep 2: Social Goods – Core Values / Ethical Structure

1- Social goods – nature and characteristics - ...

6) Social goods and our social functions: stewardship, governance, and management:

Social goods and social qualities - are ultimately the product of our social functions.

Social functions as the ‘social’ embodiment of ‘ethics’: our ethical aspirations (stewardship), ethical principles and norms (governance) and, relationship commitments and qualities (management),

Harness our core human and social potentialities and dynamics,

Towards the growth of our social goods and social qualities.

December 2010 © Abraham Chiasson 35

Page 36: Ethics (ethical dynamics)-Chapter 7

Chapter 7 Growing an Ecology of Mind and CommunityStep 2: Social Goods – Core Values / Ethical Structure

December 2010 © Abraham Chiasson 36

1- Social goods – nature and characteristics - ...

6)Social goods and our social functions: stewardship, governance, and management.

Human Potentialities

Social Goods/

Social Qualities

Social Potentialities

Cognitive(Social)

Structures &Potentialities

Socio-Political

Structures

Socio-Political

Dynamics

InstitutionalDimensions

/InstitutionalFramework

Ethics

Stewardship / Governance / Management

Page 37: Ethics (ethical dynamics)-Chapter 7

Chapter 7 Growing an Ecology of Mind and CommunityStep 2: Social Goods – Core Values / Ethical Structure

1- Social goods – nature and characteristics - ...

6) Social goods and our social functions: stewardship, governance, and management:

Stewardship, governance, and management, also aim to bring about social goods and social qualities that are ‘dynamically’ relevant to their larger socio-political landscapes and, capable of fostering an increasingly relevant ethical structure.

And, social goods and social qualities by being the result of our ethical structure driving our social functions on our socio-political landscapes,

Social goods and social qualities will in turn affect our social functions and their driving ethical structures.

December 2010 © Abraham Chiasson 37

Page 38: Ethics (ethical dynamics)-Chapter 7

Chapter 7 Growing an Ecology of Mind and CommunityStep 2: Social Goods – Core Values / Ethical Structure

December 2010 © Abraham Chiasson 38

Ethical StructureEthical AspirationsPrinciples & NormsRel. Commit & Qual

Social FunctionsStewardshipGovernanceManagement

Social Goods

/Social

Qualities

Socio-PoliticalLandscape

1- Social goods – nature and characteristics - ...

6)Social goods and our social functions: stewardship, governance, and management:

Page 39: Ethics (ethical dynamics)-Chapter 7

Chapter 7 Growing an Ecology of Mind and CommunityStep 2: Social Goods – Core Values / Ethical Structure

2 -

Creating a relevant synergy between ethics and the world of our social qualities and social goods –

December 2010 © Abraham Chiasson 39

Page 40: Ethics (ethical dynamics)-Chapter 7

Chapter 7 Growing an Ecology of Mind and CommunityStep 2: Social Goods – Core Values / Ethical Structure

2- Creating a relevant synergy between ethics and the world of our social qualities and social goods –

… Via our core social functions i.e.,

The core values or ethical aspirations associated with stewardship,

The related principles and norms framing ‘institutional and organizational’ policies in the world of governance, and

The relationship commitments and qualities sustaining and giving relevance to ‘work’ processes i.e., management –

December 2010 © Abraham Chiasson 40

Page 41: Ethics (ethical dynamics)-Chapter 7

Chapter 7 Growing an Ecology of Mind and CommunityStep 2: Social Goods – Core Values / Ethical Structure

December 2010 © Abraham Chiasson 41

Page 42: Ethics (ethical dynamics)-Chapter 7

Chapter 7 Growing an Ecology of Mind and CommunityStep 2: Social Goods – Core Values / Ethical Structure

2-

Creating a relevant synergy between ethics and the world of our social qualities and social goods – … understanding –

A)

The social qualities and social goods with which landscape ethics are in synergy – ‘what are we trying to achieve’

December 2010 © Abraham Chiasson 42

Page 43: Ethics (ethical dynamics)-Chapter 7

Chapter 7 Growing an Ecology of Mind and CommunityStep 2: Social Goods – Core Values / Ethical Structure

2- Creating a relevant synergy between ethics and the world of our social qualities and social goods – … understanding -

A) The social qualities and social goods with which landscape ethics are in synergy – ‘what are we trying to achieve’ -; an example:

A hospital’s overall ethical structure: its core values e.g., respect for life, professional competence, and compassion,

Will be in synergy with – sometimes similar to - the social qualities driving institutional energy and,

In synergy with the specific social goods provided by the hospital e.g., diagnostic services, and surgeries…, and,

In synergy with those social qualities and social goods in the realm of hospital administration e.g., value for money, team work and facilities...

December 2010 © Abraham Chiasson 43

Page 44: Ethics (ethical dynamics)-Chapter 7

Chapter 7 Growing an Ecology of Mind and CommunityStep 2: Social Goods – Core Values / Ethical Structure

2- Creating a relevant synergy between ethics and the world of our social qualities and social goods – … understanding -

A) The social qualities and social goods with which landscape ethics are in synergy – ‘what are we trying to achieve’ -; an example ... :

Overall, core values i.e., respect for life, professional competence, and compassion, by being intimately associated with the hospital’s social qualities and social goods (and, with its vision and sense of hope as human potentialities), provide direction and meaning to the hospital’s ‘stewardship, governance and management’.

December 2010 © Abraham Chiasson 44

Page 45: Ethics (ethical dynamics)-Chapter 7

Chapter 7 Growing an Ecology of Mind and CommunityStep 2: Social Goods – Core Values / Ethical Structure

2- Creating a relevant synergy between ethics and the world of our social qualities and social goods – … understanding -

A) The social qualities and social goods with which landscape ethics are in synergy – ‘what are we trying to achieve’ -; an example ... :

Also, since social qualities and social goods are the product of a variety of domain institutional contributions on an ever changing socio-political landscape, they provide for the development of the institution’s:

Core values / ethical structure via ‘what is effective and what is not’… and, in turn,

Institutional stewardship, governance and management and, for

Its evolving social qualities and social goods (and, vision and sense of hope’).

December 2010 © Abraham Chiasson 45

Page 46: Ethics (ethical dynamics)-Chapter 7

Chapter 7 Growing an Ecology of Mind and CommunityStep 2: Social Goods – Core Values / Ethical Structure

2- Creating a relevant synergy between ethics and the world of our social qualities and social goods – … understanding -

A) The social qualities and social goods with which landscape ethics are in synergy – ‘what are we trying to achieve’ – an example -

… Overall dynamics -

December 2010 © Abraham Chiasson 46

Vision & Sense of Hope(Social Qualities &

Social Goods)

StewardshipGovernanceManagement

Core Values/

Ethical Structure

Social Qualities/

Social Goods

Page 47: Ethics (ethical dynamics)-Chapter 7

Chapter 7 Growing an Ecology of Mind and CommunityStep 2: Social Goods – Core Values / Ethical Structure

2-

Creating a relevant synergy between ethics and the world of our social qualities and social goods – … understanding -

B)

The socio-political dynamics driving social qualities and social goods.

December 2010 © Abraham Chiasson 47

Page 48: Ethics (ethical dynamics)-Chapter 7

Chapter 7 Growing an Ecology of Mind and CommunityStep 2: Social Goods – Core Values / Ethical Structure

2- Creating a relevant synergy between ethics and the world of our social qualities and social goods – … understanding -

B) The socio-political dynamics driving social qualities and social goods.

Landscape ‘authority and power’ of the institution determines its control over its:  

Social goods e.g., diagnostic services and surgeries, and,  

Social qualities e.g., to what extent it can be compassionate.

As an example, how do other landscape institutions e.g., governments, value these services (authority) and, how much power (money) are they willing to provide the hospital?

December 2010 © Abraham Chiasson 48

Page 49: Ethics (ethical dynamics)-Chapter 7

Chapter 7 Growing an Ecology of Mind and CommunityStep 2: Social Goods – Core Values / Ethical Structure

2- Creating a relevant synergy between ethics and the world of our social qualities and social goods – … understanding -

B) The socio-political dynamics driving social qualities and social goods.

Understanding and transforming ethics - core values / ethical structure -, via institutional stewardship, governance and management,

Supposes that we understand the relationship of the institution’s core values with those social qualities and social goods afforded the institution via the landscape’s socio-political dynamics…

December 2010 © Abraham Chiasson 49

Page 50: Ethics (ethical dynamics)-Chapter 7

Chapter 7 Growing an Ecology of Mind and CommunityStep 2: Social Goods – Core Values / Ethical Structure

2- Creating a relevant synergy between ethics and the world of our social qualities and social goods – … understanding -

B) The socio-political dynamics driving social qualities and social goods.

... Such an understanding (the relationship between core values and the social qualities and social goods afforded by the landscape)

Gives us the opportunity of transforming one or the other via our social functions i.e., stewardship, governance and management -

As an example, in the case of a hospital, by being more professionally competent in what it does e.g., better surgeries and, by being more cost efficient.

December 2010 © Abraham Chiasson 50

Page 51: Ethics (ethical dynamics)-Chapter 7

Chapter 7 Growing an Ecology of Mind and CommunityStep 2: Social Goods – Core Values / Ethical Structure

2-

Creating a relevant synergy between ethics and the world of our social qualities and social goods – … understanding -

C)

The key cognitive potentialities underlying landscape realities e.g., domain contribution values and institutional ethics.

December 2010 © Abraham Chiasson 51

Page 52: Ethics (ethical dynamics)-Chapter 7

Chapter 7 Growing an Ecology of Mind and CommunityStep 2: Social Goods – Core Values / Ethical Structure

2- Creating a relevant synergy between ethics and the world of our social qualities and social goods – … understanding -

C) The key cognitive potentialities underlying landscape realities e.g., domain contribution values and institutional ethics.

Understanding one dimension of our cognitive potentialities - say institutional ethics - supposes that we understand:

Their synergistic relationship with the other dimensions say aesthetics, ethos, ideology and knowledge and,

Since institutional ethics are the result of institutionally mediated domain contributions,

The cognitive dimensions of key domain contributions; e.g., the stories, sense of beauty, and contribution values in the domain of surgeries.

December 2010 © Abraham Chiasson 52

Page 53: Ethics (ethical dynamics)-Chapter 7

Chapter 7 Growing an Ecology of Mind and CommunityStep 2: Social Goods – Core Values / Ethical Structure

2- Creating a relevant synergy between ethics and the world of our social qualities and social goods – … understanding -

C) The key cognitive potentialities underlying landscape realities e.g., domain contribution values and institutional ethics.

Growing core values – ethics – towards growing social qualities (more compassionate) and social goods (better surgeries) requires that we understand these other cognitive dimensions e.g.,

In the case of institutions, understanding their universe, ideology, and knowledge as cognitive potentialities and,

Their impact on the mediation of domain contributions via their social functions e.g., governance principles regarding such core values as compassion and professional competence.

December 2010 © Abraham Chiasson 53

Page 54: Ethics (ethical dynamics)-Chapter 7

Chapter 7 Growing an Ecology of Mind and Community Step 2: Social Goods – Core Values / Ethical Structure

2-

Creating a relevant synergy between ethics and the world of our social qualities and social goods – … understanding –

D)

The landscape’s ‘living systems’ dynamics.

December 2010 © Abraham Chiasson 54

Page 55: Ethics (ethical dynamics)-Chapter 7

Chapter 7 Growing an Ecology of Mind and Community Step 2: Social Goods – Core Values / Ethical Structure

2- Creating a relevant synergy between ethics and the world of our social qualities and social goods – … understanding -

D) The landscape’s ‘living systems’ dynamics.

In matters of ‘structural coupling’, are individuals or institutions capable of congruently engaging others in matters of pattern (stewardship), structure (governance), and process (management) – as an example -

In our hospital context: to what extent are those providing surgeries capable of engaging others in improving their services on the basis of their domain contribution values and, their overall ethical aspirations as individuals i.e., in matters of ‘pattern’?

December 2010 © Abraham Chiasson 55

Page 56: Ethics (ethical dynamics)-Chapter 7

Chapter 7 Growing an Ecology of Mind and Community Step 2: Social Goods – Core Values / Ethical Structure

2- Creating a relevant synergy between ethics and the world of our social qualities and social goods – … understanding -

D) The landscape’s ‘living systems’ dynamics.

In matters of ‘structure’: Are the landscape’s principles and norms amenalbe to growing their professional competencies e.g., by growing the social qualities and social goods of their domains?

In a world of becoming i.e., of ‘dissipative structures’: Are the landscape’s socio-political dynamics – those embedded in the landscape’s social functions - open to change e.g., accepting that hospital staff can make improvements to surgeries – sharing of authority - and, have the means to do so – power -?

December 2010 © Abraham Chiasson 56

Page 57: Ethics (ethical dynamics)-Chapter 7

Chapter 7 Growing an Ecology of Mind and Community Step 2: Social Goods – Core Values / Ethical Structure

3-

Summary: The elemets of this necessary synergy: institution / landscape, realities

December 2010 © Abraham Chiasson 57

Page 58: Ethics (ethical dynamics)-Chapter 7

Chapter 7 Growing an Ecology of Mind and CommunityStep 2: Social Goods – Core Values / Ethical Structure

Summary: The elements of a necessary synergy between ethics and the world of our social qualities and social goods.

Growing ‘institutional’ social qualities and social goods – those associated with the ethical aspirations embedded in its vision and sense of hope - is growing a relevant synergy with the overall ‘ethical’ realities of its landscape i.e.,

Its overall vision and sense of hope and related social qualities and social goods,

Its social functions, core values and ethical structure, along with its current social qualities and social goods.

December 2010 © Abraham Chiasson 58

Page 59: Ethics (ethical dynamics)-Chapter 7

Chapter 7 Growing an Ecology of Mind and Community Step 2: Social Goods – Core Values / Ethical Structure

December 2010 © Abraham Chiasson 59

Vision & Sense of Hope(Social Qualities &

Social Goods)

StewardshipGovernanceManagement

Core Values/

Ethical Structure

Social Qualities/

Social Goods

Vision & Sense of Hope(Social Qualities &

Social Goods)

StewardshipGovernanceManagement

Core Values/

Ethical Structure

Social Qualities/

Social Goods

Landscape

Institution