Theme: Grammar

DRAFT – WORK IN PROGRESS

What is the difference between morals, ethics and manners?

CORRECT ANSWER:

It’s not complicated – if we explain it in **economic** rather than ‘moral’ language.

Western civilization is a commercial civilization (middle class), and that is the reason for our wealth, cleanliness, orderliness, customer service, and tolerance. The west was more successful than all but the Japanese at suppression of selfish public behavior, and for this reason was able to produce commons that people did not impose costs upon, providing incentive (lacking disincentive) to produce commons, and therefore creating the high returns on the commons. (Effectively, westerners treat the commons – common spaces and everything in them – as sacred).

Engage only in completely voluntary exchanges. That means do not impose costs upon others whether attention (mental), disgust(emotion), or action (body), on their demonstrated interests (things, family, business), and the “commons” anything the public may make use of.

Instead, pay the cost of controlling yourself, by maintaining ‘situational awareness of others’ (consideration), especially by managing your children. The public space is not something you may make use of as you desire. it is not your home.

* **Series: Hygiene > Dress > Manners > Ethics > Morals > Laws > Reciprocity**

MANNERS

**Manners** advertise fitness for reciprocity. The more costly the manners, the higher the suppression of impulse, the greater the demonstration of agency and training, the better the promise and better the predictor of fitness for reciprocity.

**Respect** consists of using manners to demonstrate reciprocity and presumption of reciprocity regardless of differences between parties, including differences in the status spectrum, differences in wants and needs, differences in opinion, and differences in preferences.

**Disrespect** consists of irreciprocity presumption of irreciprocity given differences between parties, including differences in the status spectrum, differences in wants and needs, differences in knowledge, habit, and opinion, and differences in preferences.

**Insult** consists of (…)

**Resistance** consist of (…)

**Defection** consists of (…)

|| Spectrum: genetic > sexual > social > economic > political > military

**Display**

* **Hygiene**

* **Dress**

* **Movement**

**Word**

* **Speech**

**Deed**

* **Action**

* **Space**

Manners signal respect by paying cost of observance, and require reciprocity by equal payment of costs of observance.

Respect refers to presumption of the spectrum of reciprocity to beneficence by your demonstration of respect for others interests, and the interest of the commons.

Manners are your ‘advertising’ for worthiness of respect. Lack of manners are your ‘advertising’ for unworthiness of respect: meaning, not giving your attention, consideration, or resources (time, energy). And poor manners require others actively disrespect you (‘punish you’) for imposing costs upon others.

ETHICS

(…)

MORALS

(…)