The Northern Advocate

Natural ethics inborn and in our DNA

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Morgan Allan’s assertion that Joe Bennett’s world view cannot be justified except by Judeo-Christian morality — “Church doctrines inimical to life” — is patently absurd.

There’s a thing called ethics Mr Allan, and a little known branch called Natural Ethics. Inborn in all life, ethics comes naturally. Intrinsic and inherited ethics.

The universal law of conservati­on of energy is inborn in all life as selfpreser­vation. Transferre­d to the sphere of ethics, it is the command of love; because only the command of love permits of self-preservati­on by all.

It most certainly has “moral limits”. It’s in our DNA, easily accessible provided we’re not convinced we’re born in “original sin”. The Catholic Church apparently has “Original Blessing”. Lest we forget?

Hatred and struggle are no more serviceabl­e as principles of life than collision is as a principle in the journeys of the stars.

So, if all life is sacred (or holy), born with an equal right to, and equally worthy of developmen­t, then love requires an order by which the developmen­t of each and every one is possible.

It’s really simple ethics, naturally. No worries about “Real God”,

Evolution, Big Bangs and Sky Fathers. Believe whatever you like, freely. Worship freely. Allow others their freedom.

Simple political translatio­n: “The maximum of freedom for each, combined with the maximum regard for the Life and freedom of every other.”

— Frank E Warner Future of Man (London 1944), aka Ernst Frankenste­in (1881-1959) — lawyer and internatio­nal jurist — revealer of Natural Ethics.

Walter Joseph Hicks Kohukohu

Assisted dying

Your correspond­ent J.P. Jones writes that supporters of the End-of-Life Choice Act were lambasting the hospice. Well, not me. And I was not writing “Let’s support Hospice” either. I was asking our local hospice to allow medically assisted dying, the final compassion­ate act of palliative care, to take place on the local hospice site, when it becomes law.

And yes J.P. Jones, I do believe that the majority of New Zealand voters will vote to allow this choice.

Robin Lieffering

Whanga¯rei

PPE should be mandatory

I see the PM has just announced $150 million to supply PPE at the border, for incoming Kiwis and airline staff.

I thought that given ALL of our Covid cases originated from over the

border, that this would have been mandatory over the last five months, along with compulsory testing.

Now we find that testing has only started to occur in the last couple of weeks (or has it?) PM said we may not be able to make people comply, under the law?

What? Really?

J P Jones Northland

 ?? Photo / Getty Images ?? PPE at the border should have been mandatory over the last five months, writes J P Jones.
Photo / Getty Images PPE at the border should have been mandatory over the last five months, writes J P Jones.

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