Benefitting Others

If, as seems to be commonly thought, the Principle 'Benefit others' is the basis of Morality, it is a shaky foundation. Even 'Help those in need' often must be qualified by '. . . if they cannot help themselves', or by '. . . so long as doing so is not to the detriment of someone else, including oneself'. Furthermore, the centering of Morality on the benefitting of someone else is based on the Psychological premise that one will only act in one's self-interest unless otherwise prompted, a premise that has been previously challenged here. Finally, the formula 'Benefit others' leaves completely undetermined what constitutes 'benefit', meaning that some other Principle, namely one that defines the ultimate bearer of Value, would be the one that is at the heart of Morality. For example, in Evolvemental Phronetics, Evolvement is that bearer. So, the Phronetic Principle, with respect to others, is 'Promote Evolvement as much as possible'. Now, what constitutes Evolvement will vary from situation to situation. For example, if Need is overwhelming someone's capacity for self-motivation, then supplying them with food, clothing, shelter, etc. qualifies as promoting Evolvement. If someone lacks the education that will help them achieve Individual Reflection, then teaching them promotes Evolvement. If some collective project would give someone the opportunity to grow socially, then including them in the activity promotes Evolvement. Furthermore, the more who Evolve because of a course of Action, the greater the degree of Evolvement that has been promoted. And, promoting the Evolvement of others entails extending oneself beyond the sphere of self-interest. So, in promoting the Evolvement of others, one is oneself Evolving as well.