The Power of Principles

    We often hear people speak of “principles” but few ever define exactly what they mean and why they’re needed. With this blog, I will attempt to do just that.

Principles in Ethics
    In the same way matter is composed of atoms, every issue is composed of one or more abstract principles.

    Principles are comprehensive. They transcend individual issues, thus serving as a guide to action even in uncharted territory. Their transcendental nature means that all thoughts, actions, and beliefs are logically consistent, whereas without principles, separate individual positions on an assortment of issues with no guiding principles can easily come into conflict. Principles enable one to see to the core meaning of a given issue and discover its true deepest nature, rather than only seeing its surface, superficial implications.

Principles in Science
    In a less esoteric field, the value of general and universal principles can be easily seen. Consider the principle of gravity, or the principle of magnetism, or any number of mathematical principles. An orange plus another orange is two oranges, but what if we add two apples together? If we do not grasp the abstract principle of one plus one equals two, then we would be left to ask such ridiculous questions as this. Each time a new situation arose, we would have to start at square one. Therefore we must recognize and identify the general, abstract principle that unifies and explains each individual case. The same is true in the field of ethics.

Why We Need Principles
    It isn’t enough to know what you think on a particular issue. You should know why you think what you think, and know what principle guided you to your conclusion. Whether you consciously recognize principles or not, every stand you take on an issue carries with it one or more implicit principles. For example, a stand against slavery carries with it the principle of the dignity and sovereignty of the individual, which has implications far beyond the issue of slavery alone.

    But if we do not consciously define our principles, we are bound to promote conflicting ideas, as I will presently demonstrate:

    To again use slavery as an example, it is a contradiction in principles to oppose slavery, but support Socialism. Both ideas state, in principle, that the fruits of a man’s labors do not belong to him, but rather to someone else. And on a deeper level, they both rely upon the principle that a man is not an end in himself, but only a means to the ends of others.

    Another example of such a conflict would be opposition to racism, but support for racial “pride” parades, holidays, and other events where people extol the virtues of a particular race. The former stand rejects the principle of identifying and valuing an individual according to their race, while the latter stand embraces it.

    People adopt such contradictory positions because they fail to consciously identify their abstract principles.

Principles versus Pragmatism
    There is an alternative method of evaluating issues and arriving at conclusions, and that method is known as “Pragmatism”. Pragmatism takes the short-term view of an isolated situation and decides on a course of action without regard for the principles underlying in those actions. With pragmatism, the ends are often seen as justifying the means. Pragmatism also is often confused with being “practical”. But in the long-run, pragmatism is no more practical than it is practical to ignore the principle of gravity, or principles of mathematics.

    An example of the folly of pragmatism would be an individual who wants to discourage racism and also wants to counter its effects through unprincipled, pragmatic actions. Let us suppose such a person supports policies of racial preferences, for example giving jobs or scholarships to people largely based upon their race. Their pragmatic reasoning is that since racism exists and therefore has certain negative effects, they will simply attempt to reverse those effects by preferring the discriminated race. After all, that seems like the “practical” solution. The noble goal certainly seems like an end worthy of the means of applying racial preferences. But in fact, such a person’s principles (conscious or unconscious) are confused and in conflict because they have not taken the time to define their principles and act according to them. Instead, they have only looked at the one isolated situation and decided on an expedient solution without considering the broader implications.

    Beware when people plea for the “practical”, because this usually means they are trying to ignore the principles involved and instead pursue the expedient.

Summary
    We have seen how principles are important in the decisions we make and the stands we take, how they allow us to adapt to new situations, and how they help us avoid adopting contradictory positions. Be sure to make a conscious effort to identify your principles and then to apply them to your life by testing each of your ideas against them, looking for inconsistencies.