A Blueprint for Resolving the Current Crisis In the American Way of Life

A Blueprint for Resolving the Current Crisis in the				means of pleasing her boyfriend, a husband who
American Way of Life By Douglas R. Ramm, Ph.D				constantly defers to his wife's wishes on decisions
Board Certified in Clinical Psychology Member				which negatively affect his own quality of life, and
American Psychological Association Member				parents who continue to provide for able-bodied
American Philosophical Association Member				adult children while neglecting what they need to
Association for Supervision and Curriculum				do to prepare for retirement. Non-productive
Development				behavior involves spending time and energy on
For most of the past decade, a number of				activities which have little or nothing to do with
editorial writers, politicians, members of the clergy,				acquiring or maintaining what is required for
and other pundits have described America as a				contentment and satisfaction with life. Examples
nation in some sort of crisis. They point to a				include teenagers who spend their time watching
growing number of people who drop out of high				television, listening to music or talking on the
school, who are living on probation, parole, or in				phone rather than doing homework or studying
prison, who are victims of domestic or criminal				for exams, employees who spend portions of
assault, who are addicted to drugs or alcohol, who				their workday surfing the Internet rather than
are infected with sexually transmitted disease,				completing assigned tasks, and spouses who
who are having abortions, who are giving birth				spend virtually all of their time in activities which
outside of marriage, who are getting divorced, or				have nothing to do with nurturing their partners in
who are relying on Ritalin, Xanax or Prozac to				life. Unfaithful behavior consists of failing to fulfill
make it through the day. They maintain these				agreements freely entered into at an earlier point
statistics are evidence something has gone				in time. Examples include adolescents breaking
terribly wrong with the American way of life.				curfews, salespersons who fail to honor
As a practicing clinical psychologist, I work with				warranties and married people who cheat on their
people included in these numbers every day of				spouses. Disrespectful behavior consists of
the week. Monday I talk with a man on his way				pursuing a course of action which violates another
to prison for writing bad checks, a middle-aged				person's basic rights. Examples include physical or
mother struggling to quit drinking herself into a				sexual assault, theft, or the disclosure of certain
stupor every night, and a twenty-something single				types of personal information. Deceptive behavior
woman recently diagnosed with herpes. Tuesday I				consists of attempting to create in another
talk with a teenager dealing with an unintended				person's mind an image of reality which does not
pregnancy, a father court-ordered out of his				correspond with actuality. It includes creating
house after assaulting his son, and a wife				misleading audio or video recordings, filing falsified
conflicted about whether to end her extramarital				reports, or simply telling lies. Ill-considered
affair. On Wednesday I meet with an 11-year-old				interpersonal interaction occurs when people
boy who doesn't cooperate with his teachers, on				pursue a course of action which involves other
Thursday with a woman who was devastated by				persons whose behavior is heedless,
the news that her husband has filed for divorce				nonproductive, disrespectful, unfaithful and/or
so he can marry his girlfriend, and, on Friday, with				deceptive. Examples include riding in an automobile
an adolescent who recently attempted suicide.				with an impaired driver, continuing to employ an
From this perspective, rather than being numbers,				individual who does not put in a day's work for a
persons included in statistics are living, breathing,				day's pay, disclosing personal information to an
human beings. Each has a unique history and set				individual who has demonstrated no respect for
of circumstances as well as very personal				privacy, remaining in a marriage with a spouse
thoughts, emotions, ideals, regrets, hopes, and				who has an ongoing series of extramarital affairs,
dreams. But despite their differences, all of these				and trusting a person who frequently lies.
individuals have one thing in common-they are all,				Once it was determined that these seven
to some degree, unhappy, discontent, and				patterns of behavior are the ones which correlate
dissatisfied with life.				with unhappiness, discontent and/or dissatisfaction
Recognizing that all of these people are in some				in life, a set of alternatives was identified. The
sense unhappy, it is possible to characterize the				alternative to heedless and self-effacing behavior
number of persons in all of the statistical groups				as well as ill-considered interpersonal interaction is
referred to by the pundits as a global measure of				referred to as self-respect. Self-respect consists
unhappiness in the United States. Since the total				of avoiding any course of action which clearly
number of people in each of these groups				poses a threat to what is required for
continues to rise, it is reasonable to infer that we				contentment and satisfaction with life. Industry is
are in the midst of an epidemic of unhappiness.				the alternative to non-productive behavior.
Recognizing that this nation was designed to				Industry consists of investing the time and
optimize the conditions for the personal pursuit of				energy required to obtain and maintain what is
happiness, this epidemic of unhappiness can be				essential for contentment and satisfaction with life.
referred to as the current crisis in the American				The alternative to unfaithful and disrespectful
way of life.				behavior is referred to as equity. Equity consists
Attempts to Cope with the Crisis				of honoring agreements and respecting the basic
One group of opinion leaders offers a simple				rights of others. Honesty, the alternative to
explanation for, and solution to, this crisis.				deceptive behavior, consists of rendering an
Presuming illiteracy, probation, incarceration,				accurate description of reality. Like wellness
assault, addiction, sexually transmitted illness,				principles, these guidelines for making choices only
unintended pregnancy, domestic violence, and				maximize the potential for achieving emotional
divorce are consequences of dysfunctional				well-being when they are combined and acted on
behavior, conservatives maintain that the rising				consistently in the course of daily living. Given this
number of people who find themselves with				reality, the combination and regular use of the
these conditions is the result of poor				four scientifically formulated principles of morality
decision-making. They contend that people could				can be referred to as the formula for happiness.
avoid these outcomes by making better choices				Prevention and Dissemination
when managing their personal lives.				The potential that the formula for happiness has
Conservatives remind us that the basic structure				for reducing the epidemic of unhappiness
of the American way of life is a legal system				becomes evident when the connection between
based on a foundation of moral principles-ideas				acting on its principles and a person's ability to
about right and wrong. They cite Founding				avoid functional illiteracy, probation, incarceration,
Fathers, such as John Adams, who, in 1798,				assault, addiction, sexually transmitted illness,
wrote, "Our constitution was made for a moral				unintended pregnancy, or divorce is clarified.
and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to				People who act on the principles of self-respect
govern any other." Or they refer to James				and industry can acquire adequate skills for
Madison, who, in 1778, wrote, "We have staked				competitive employment in today's post-industrial
the whole future of American civilization, not upon				economy. When those who are inclined to violate
the power of government, far from it. We have				the rights of others act on the principle of equity,
staked the future of all of our political institutions .				they avoid probation and incarceration which is
. . upon the capacity of each and all of us to				frequently a consequence of murder, assault, and
govern ourselves, to control ourselves, to sustain				various types of theft. When those who are
ourselves according to the Ten Commandments				mulling over an opportunity to experiment with
of God."				illicit drugs act on the principle of self-respect, they
Conservatives point to the fact that, beginning				avoid future addiction. When people who have
with Colonial America and up until roughly forty				become addicted to drugs or alcohol act on the
years ago, the people of this country generally				principles of self-respect, industry, and honesty,
assumed the moral principles the Founding Fathers				they enter into substance abuse recovery
inherited from the Judeo-Christian tradition were a				programs and invest the blood, sweat, and tears
set of guidelines for making choices which would				required to overcome their dependency. When
lead to real and lasting happiness in this world and				interested in having casual and unprotected sexual
the next. They note that since those advocating				intercourse, people who act on the principle of
a separation of church and state began to				self-respect avoid sexually transmitted disease
succeed in removing all reference to religion from				and unintended pregnancy. When people act on
public schools there has been an increase in the				the principle of self-respect in choosing a spouse,
number of people who are failing to finish high				industry for investing time and energy in working
school, living on probation, parole, or in prison,				on a satisfying marriage, and equity in forsaking all
victims of domestic or criminal assault, addicted to				others, there is a reduction in the number of
drugs or alcohol, infected with sexually transmitted				people who live with marital disharmony, domestic
diseases, having abortions, giving birth outside of				violence, and divorce.
marriage, getting divorced, and relying on				Scientifically formulated principles of morality only
antidepressants and other psychotropic				hold the promise of reducing the epidemic of
medications. They argue that each of these				unhappiness if people become aware of these
undesirable conditions could be lessened if				ideas about what's right and act on these
Americans, once again, began to act on the Ten				principles as they go about their daily lives. This
Commandments and the teachings of Jesus Christ				means that a reverse in the epidemic of
when making choices in daily life.				unhappiness requires a general recognition of the
On the other side, liberals insist there are several				value of acting on these principles to the individual
problems with the conservative approach. First,				and to society at large. Clearly, the most efficient
the moral position of the Judeo-Christian tradition				and effective means of achieving this goal is
is far from clear. Although all believers root their				through the process of education.
morality in scripture, there are wide differences in				The first step in teaching a significant number of
how sacred texts are understood. While some				youth about scientifically formulated principles of
Christians maintain using alcohol is a sin, others				morality began with The Facts of Life Seminar
serve wine in church. Similar differences exist with				which was instituted in Westmoreland County,
respect to the Christian positions on gambling,				Pennsylvania in 1993. This program for character
divorce and homosexuality. Liberals point to the				development was designed to teach the formula
fact that people of faith can be found on both				for happiness to teens who are on juvenile
sides of abortion, capital punishment, and assisted				probation and to show them how to apply the
suicide to demonstrate that religiously based moral				formula in the course of daily living. All of the
reasoning is incapable of effectively dealing with				adolescents adjudicated delinquent in this county
the major moral controversies of our time.				are currently required to complete The Facts of
Further, liberals maintain that religiously-based				Life Seminar as a one of the conditions of their
moral reasoning permitted many of the most				probation.
outrageous injustices of the past. Thousands				In The Facts of Life Seminars students learn that
were slaughtered in the Crusades, tortured during				when they act on scientifically formulated
the Inquisition, and died during centuries of				principles of morality they get the tangible benefit
European holy war. Many who settled the British				of improving and maintaining the quality of their
colonies in North America were fleeing persecution				lives. Students are provided with mnemonic
at the hands of religious authorities intolerant of				devices similar to those used in teaching principles
their beliefs. After the American Revolution, the				of nutrition and health. They are equipped with
Bible was used to justify the perpetuation of				decision trees and given several exercises to help
slavery and the subordination of women. Even				them learn to recognize a context for principled
today the Ku Klux Klan uses a Christian symbol to				decision-making and how to systematically employ
terrorize non-white Americans who are simply				scientifically formulated principles of morality to
exercising basic rights.				figure out which alternatives to pursue. In addition
Liberals also note that the American Revolution				to learning about the principles themselves,
was as much a rebellion against religion as it was				students are trained in behavioral techniques such
a military campaign. Instead of relying on the				as imaging and self-talk as a means of enhancing
British notion that it was a citizen's duty to God to				self-control when confronted with temptation to
obey a divinely enthroned king, the Founding				engage in a self-defeating course of action.
Fathers based their declaration of independence				Since its inception, hundreds of adolescents have
on rational philosophy-the other source of moral				gone through Facts of Life Seminars taught by
authority which has shaped and influenced the				juvenile probation officers, mental health
course of Western civilization since its beginning in				treatment personnel, and a number of teachers in
ancient Greece. They went on to establish a				residential placement centers, day treatment
government explicitly based on philosophical rather				programs, outpatient counseling centers, and
than on religious ideals. Referring to the first				alternative education schools. Outcome research
amendment of the Constitution and the fact that				reveals that of those who complete this program
America has become a nation of many faiths,				there is a 123% increase in the number likely to
liberals argue that it is now un-American to base				refrain from violence, a 92% increase in the
public education or any type of public policy on a				number likely to refrain from theft, a 178%
set of moral principles which belong to any				increase in the number likely to keep their
particular religious tradition.				promises, and a 160% increase in the number
Beyond rejecting the conservative solution to the				likely to tell the truth. In 2006, the Pennsylvania
crisis, liberals offer a different analysis of the crisis				Center for Juvenile Justice Training and Research
itself. Although acknowledging that failure to finish				sponsored the first state-wide program to
high school, delinquency, crime, addiction, sexually				prepare youth workers to lead Facts of Life
transmitted disease, unintended pregnancy,				Seminars throughout the Commonwealth.
domestic violence, divorce, and emotional				In addition, a number of public school
disorders involve some type of dysfunctional				administrators and guidance counselors who
human behavior, they deny these conditions have				learned about The Facts of Life Seminar have
anything to do with moral reasoning or ideas				expressed an interest in integrating the formula
about right and wrong. Drawing on the theory of				for happiness into classes on decision-making and
human nature generally accepted within				self-awareness in public schools. They recognize
contemporary social science, they contend that				that many of the youth on juvenile probation
this behavior is determined by instinctive drives,				may have been able to avoid trouble with the law
patterns of prior conditioning, imbalances in brain				if they learned to use scientifically formulated
chemistry, socioeconomic circumstances, or some				principles of morality as part of their overall
other, as yet, unidentified factor which involves				education. As a result of this interest Lessons on
something other than choice. They believe further				The Facts of Life have been developed. This is a
scientific research will inevitably discover the				set of lesson plans which can be integrated into
causes of this dysfunctional behavior and that the				existing curriculum on decision-making and
results of this research will eventually lead to a				self-awareness classes in both public and private
reduction in the number of persons who behave				schools.
this way.				When scientifically formulated principles of morality
A Need for a New Approach				are taught within a public school, influential persons
Rather than attempting to work together in an				in the community need to be aware of their
effort to find some common ground, today's				existence as well as their value in promoting
conservative and liberal leaders invest their				personal responsibility and citizenship. Public
energies in attempting to win hearts and minds to				meetings provide opportunities for parents and
their respective points of view. Their strategies				other community leaders to learn about the origin
are to affect public policy through opinion polls and				and nature of the formula for happiness as well
the election process. Unfortunately, as the leaders				as why and how it is effective in motivating
of these ideologies engage in cultural civil war, the				adolescents to act on principle in daily life. These
epidemic of unhappiness continues and the current				meetings also equip members of the community
crisis in the American way of life endures.				with a vocabulary and a set of concepts about
One means of moving beyond this quagmire				right and wrong which they can share with other
begins with the realization that crises are events				adults who are dealing with the challenge of
which have a structure and dynamics of their				character development in youth. This ability to
own. Crises occur when people are confronted				speak a common language enables teacher, school
with undesirable conditions which are unintended				administrators, parents, clergy, and other
and unanticipated. They result from pursuing				community leaders to coordinate their efforts in
courses of action based on assumptions which are				dealing with issues of responsibility and
in some way inaccurate, ineffective, or				accountability at school, at home, and in the
inappropriate with respect to achieving an intended				neighborhood. Clearly, this effort can only succeed
outcome. Crises persist as long as those				if those involved in implementing programs for
attempting to achieve the intended outcome				character education based on the formula for
continue doing what they do without realizing their				happiness are able to enlist support from
assumptions are in some sense flawed.				community leaders who represent both
Crises are resolved when three events occur.				conservative and liberal groups.
First, the assumptions of those who end up with				Conservative Support
the undesired outcome are clarified. Next, these				Because scientifically formulated principles of
assumptions are evaluated with respect to the				morality are based on a volitional theory of human
degree that they are actually accurate, effective,				nature and because they are clearly relevant to
and appropriate with respect to achieving the				the personal pursuit of happiness, many
intended goal. Finally, the results of this evaluation				conservatives who learn about the formula for
are used to develop a new course of action				happiness recognize its value with respect to
aimed at achieving the intended outcome based				reducing the epidemic of unhappiness in the United
on assumptions which are more accurate,				States. But, since most conservatives believe that
effective, and appropriate for achieving the				morality must be a matter of religion, some have
desired result.				difficulty supporting the idea that scientifically
This insight into the structure of a crisis suggests				formulated principles of morality should be taught
that a resolution to the current crisis in the				in public schools. They are frequently used to
American way of life could be obtained by				taking a position that it would be more
identifying the assumptions within the				appropriate to either return biblically-based moral
conservative and liberal traditions, evaluating their				principles to the classroom or to take all
accuracy, effectiveness, and appropriateness, and				instruction in moral reasoning and action out of the
then developing a new approach to dealing with				schools, leaving this aspect of education to
the epidemic of unhappiness based on what this				parents and to the clergy.
evaluation has revealed.				The conservative position that biblically-based
Identifying Existing Assumptions				morality should be brought back into public schools
The conservative approach is rooted in three				is rooted in the history of the United States.
assumptions about human nature deeply rooted in				Conservatives remind us that when the Founding
Western civilization. These assumptions were				Fathers framed the Constitution they recognized
contained in the writings of British Enlightenment				democracy was a very fragile form of
philosophers-Francis Bacon, Thomas Hobbes, and				government. They knew it had only been tried
John Locke-who provided a theory of human				twice before in the history of Western civilization
nature for those who led the American Revolution				and that each time it had collapsed into some
and went on to write the Constitution of the				form of dictatorship. In order to prevent this
United States. Today's conservatives often make				from happening in America, some of the Founding
reference to George Washington, Thomas				Fathers advocated for a system of public
Jefferson and other Founding Fathers who made				education so that citizens who are electing public
use of these philosophers' ideas.				officials would be able to make good choices
The first conservative assumption is known as a				when it came time to cast their votes. Benjamin
volitional theory of human nature. It asserts that				Rush, one of the Founding Fathers, and the father
human beings have the capacity to choose				of American psychiatry, was a chief architect of
between alternative potential courses of action. It				public schools in America. He maintained public
also includes the notion that, when confronted				schools should have two objectives. The first was
with a choice, people are naturally motivated to				to teach basic academic skills-reading, writing, and
select the potential course of action they believe				arithmetic. The second was to train students to
is most likely to make them happy in some way.				act on the moral principles contained in the Ten
The second conservative assumption is a moral				Commandments and the teachings of Jesus.
theory referred to as enlightened self-interest.				Based on this mission, for nearly 200 years, public
This theory presumes that moral principles are a				schools in America were one of three institutions
set of guidelines for making choices which are				which trained successive generations of
essential to obtaining an optimal quality of life. It				Americans in moral reasoning and its relevance to
also presumes that if individuals act on these				daily life. Public school's functioned in concert with
principles when making choices in daily living they				the church and family in presenting an integrated
are doing what they can to maximize their				and effective means of acting on principle at
potential to achieve happiness, emotional				home, at school, at work, and in the larger
well-being, contentment, and satisfaction with life.				community. History reveals that this combined
Finally, conservatives assume that moral principles				effort at character development began to unravel
are a matter of religion. This assumption is based				when advocates for the separation of church and
on the belief that individual human beings are				state were successful in requiring public schools to
limited in their ability to distinguish between those				remove any reference to The Ten
courses of action which only apparently enhance a				Commandments and the teachings of Jesus. Since
person's quality of life and those which enrich it in				most Americans view morality as a matter of
actuality. Accordingly, conservatives maintain that				religion, public schools rapidly and completely
an all-knowing God revealed this knowledge about				abandoned all formal teaching of moral reasoning
how to become and remain happy to specific				based on a concern the school district would
persons-Moses, the Prophets, Jesus, and the				become the object of litigation by the American
Apostles-and that the rest of humanity can find				Civil Liberties Union.
real and lasting happiness by utilizing this				Conservatives who cite this history as a means
information when making choices in daily life.				of arguing for a return of biblically-based moral
The liberal approach to dealing with illiteracy,				instruction to the classroom can be reminded that
probation, incarceration, assault, addiction, sexually				given the political strength of those who advocate
transmitted disease, unintended pregnancy,				the separation of church and state, it is unlikely
domestic violence, divorce, and a variety of				religion will be returned to public school classrooms
emotional disorders is based on a set of				in the United States anytime in the foreseeable
assumptions about human nature which began to				future. What's more, even if this were to occur,
influence the Western world as the philosophy of				teaching moral reasoning based on scripture will do
the Enlightenment was replaced by a new set of				little to motivate a large number of students to
ideas about the nature of human existence. While				act on principle because many Americans no
Enlightenment thinking was rooted in faith in God,				longer understand the world in terms of Biblical
a vision of heaven, and a fear of hell, the notions				descriptions of reality. Students who have no faith
about human nature utilized by liberals developed				in God, who have no vision of heaven, and who
as an atheistic, scientific worldview emerged.				have no fear of hell, have no reason to take
The first liberal assumption is referred to as				seriously what the Bible has to say about life and
determinism. This is the theory of human nature				how to live. Clearly, scientifically formulated
advanced by Sigmund Freud, William James, and				principles of morality are much more powerful in
John Watson, seminal thinkers who set the				motivating public school students who have no
foundations for contemporary social science.				religious foundation to make use of them in daily
Determinism consists of the belief that human				living because these ideas about how to behave
behavior is caused by instinctive drives, patterns				are consistent with the scientific worldview which
of prior conditioning, genetics, changes in brain				pervades everything else they learn at school.
chemistry, socioeconomic status or some other				Those conservatives who maintain moral training
process which has nothing to do with choosing				should be kept out of public school and left up to
between alternative potential courses of action.				the family and the clergy can be reminded that in
Second, liberals assume that moral principles are				America today millions of children have never
irrelevant to dealing with dysfunctional behavior.				seen the inside of a synagogue or a church.
This assumption is based on the belief that rather				Millions more are being raised by parents who see
than religion, the great minds of Western				no value in acting on moral principles in the course
philosophy are the proper source of moral				of daily living. Since public schools are the only
authority and the belief that the French				place these children would have an opportunity to
philosopher Auguste Comte, is the great mind				receive formal training on how to act on principle,
Americans should turn to as the appropriate				failing to provide this type of education only
authority on morality. His theory, altruism,				perpetuates the epidemic of unhappiness in the
maintains that what's right is that which enhances				United States. Persons of faith who have no
the welfare of other people, society, or humanity				problems using scientific discoveries which have
in general. Since altruism insists that moral activity				led to vaccinating virtually all children in America
consists of service to others, acting on principle is				against smallpox, diphtheria, and polio should be
viewed by altruists as an obstacle to, or				encouraged to recognize that teaching the
restriction on, the personal pursuit of happiness.				formula for happiness is a means of inoculating
Third, liberals assume that religion is not a reliable				children against functional illiteracy, probation,
source of knowledge about life or how to live.				incarceration, addiction, sexually transmitted
This assumption is rooted in their opinion that the				diseases, unintended pregnancy, marital
quality of human life has improved in virtually				disharmony, domestic violence, divorce, and a
every domain of human existence where scientific				variety of problems with their mental health. It
discoveries have replaced pre-scientific thought.				makes no more sense to deprive millions of
Liberals maintain that it makes more sense to rely				children of the benefit of learning about
on science as a means of trying to figure out				scientifically formulated principles of morality than
how to help people who engage in dysfunctional				it would to limit the availability of vaccinations to
behavior than referring to religious texts which				the children of persons who believe in God and
they view as outdated relics from a bygone era.				who take their kids to Sunday School.
Evaluating Assumptions				Those conservatives who believe that acting on a
Clearly, the traditional approaches to dealing with				secular set of moral principles may have a
the current crisis in the American way of life				negative effect on fostering faith can be
involve a set of questionable assumptions about				reminded that scientifically formulated principles of
whether people are capable of making choices, as				morality are in no way hostile to a belief in God or
well as the purpose and source of ideas about				any traditional religion. While letting students learn
right and wrong. While conservatives assume that				about the formula for happiness at school,
people have the capacity to choose between				parents and religious leaders can combine this
alternative potential courses of action, that religion				product of scientific research with their approach
is the proper source of ideas about right and				to religious education. Religious educators can
wrong, and that acting on moral principle is				show children how scientifically formulated
essential to becoming and remaining happy, liberals				principles of morality are compatible with many of
assume that human behavior has nothing to do				the ideas about right and wrong contained in
with choice, that morality is irrelevant to the				scripture as a means of providing further
personal pursuit of happiness, and that science,				validation for the moral principles found in sacred
rather than religion, is the appropriate source of				texts. What's more, religious teachers can
knowledge for dealing with the dysfunctional				demonstrate how combining Biblical instructions on
behavior contributing to the epidemic of				how to relate to God with scientifically formulated
unhappiness. Now that these questionable				principles of morality enables persons of faith to
assumptions have been identified, each can be				experience a greater degree of joy than the level
evaluated in terms of the degree to which				of fulfillment people are able to find by simply
available evidence suggests it is accurate,				following the formula for happiness
effective, and appropriate with respect to				Liberals
attempting to resolve the current crisis in the				Because the formula for happiness is a product of
American way of life.				the scientific method, many liberals find the notion
Throughout the course of Western civilization and				that it can be taught in public school to be an
up until the establishment of social science, roughly				intriguing idea. Since they can also see how training
one hundred years ago, all educated and				youth to act on scientifically formulated principles
thoughtful intellectual leaders recognized that				of morality will go a long way toward reducing the
people have the capacity of choice. Since the first				epidemic of unhappiness, they generally recognize
philosophers of ancient Greece, every major				the value of encouraging this approach to teaching
philosopher in the Western tradition has maintained				decision-making in public schools. At the same
that, with respect to many behaviors, human				time, some liberals have difficulty supporting a
beings are able to select between alternative				program for character development which inspires
potential courses of action. In addition, every				students to act on principle by an explicit appeal
known society has had a legal system based on				to self-interest. This resistance can subside once
the notion human beings actually make choices in				these liberals recognize how following the formula
the course of daily living.				for happiness results in a number of benefits to
These historical and sociological facts are				others and to society as a whole.
consistent with observations human beings have				When an individual acts on the principle of
made with respect to themselves and one				self-respect that person is doing what he or she
another since the dawn of time. In everyday				can to promote his or her overall physical and
descriptions of human behavior, people have				emotional well-being, thereby relieving healthcare
always regularly made reference to intentions,				and social service agencies of the need to provide
desires and choices when describing the activities				for that individual and making their services
of friends, family members and those whom they				available to other needy members of the
deal with in commercial and community affairs.				community. When people acts on the principle of
Moreover, we have direct access to the process				industry, they provide for the material needs of
of choosing between alternative potential courses				other people in the form of such tangible items as
of action when we decide what to eat for				food, clothing, shelter, automobiles, appliance,
breakfast, what color coat to purchase, and which				electronic devices, and countless other meaningful
program to watch on television.				material objects which enhance the quality of
Although the results of some animal studies can				human life. When a doctor, nurse, attorney,
be used to argue for a deterministic theory of				banker, police officer, auto mechanic, building
human nature, there is no conclusive evidence to				inspector, or custodian acts on the principle of
suggest that this is an accurate means of				industry, he or she is serving others by providing
describing many types of human behavior. Over				quality healthcare, legal representation, financial
the course of the Twentieth Century, scientists				assistance, security, transportation, or safe and
have attempted to identify a number of				clean buildings, streets and parks, which enhance
non-volitional processes such as instinctive drives,				the lives of other members of the community.
patterns of prior conditioning, genetics, changes in				When a person acts on the principle of equity, he
brain chemistry, and socioeconomic status which				or she is enabling others to maintain their physical
cause people to fail to acquire adequate vocational				and emotional well-being while, at the same time,
skills, commit crimes, become addicted to drugs				contributing to the freedom and security of other
or alcohol, engage in risky sexual behavior, abuse				members of the community. When a person acts
family members or get divorced. At best, these				on the principle of honesty, he or she is providing
studies have produced only modest correlations.				others with accurate information which enables
The results of thousands of these studies over				them to make informed and realistic decisions
nearly one hundred years reveal that although				choices when faced with momentous decisions
non-volitional processes may play some role in				which will have a long-term impact on their future
these dysfunctional behaviors, they do not				quality of life.
actually cause people to behave in any of these				Beyond these benefits which result from acting
ways. Based on all of this scientific evidence, it is				on specific scientifically formulated principles of
reasonable to conclude that scientists have never				morality, persons who behave according to the
been able to prove that human beings lack the				formula for happiness tend to be those who
capacity of choice.				support institutions which are central to the
One way of determining whether moral principles				American way of life. Self-respecting, industrious,
are relevant to the personal pursuit of happiness				equitable, and honest people are those individuals
consists of looking at what research has revealed				who provide most of the contributions to
about the relationship between acting on principle				charitable organizations in the United States. As
and subsequent quality of human life. Statistics				taxpayers, they also provide service to others
show that there is a correlation between personal				through government-funded health and welfare
reports of happiness, emotional well-being,				programs.
contentment, and satisfaction in living with people				Self-respecting, industrious, equitable, and honest
who regularly tell the truth, keep their				individuals build better families, neighborhoods, and
agreements, and refrain from theft. Research also				communities. Working within these networks of
reveals that there is a correlation between people				interpersonal relationships they develop, support,
who report they are unhappy, discontent, and				and maintain quality education, healthcare
dissatisfied with life and a tendency to frequently				institutions, libraries, and emergency services.
lie, cheat, and steal. What's more, virtually all				They become politically informed and
psychological research on the reasons people				conscientious voters who support politicians and
describe for acting on principle reveals that the				public policies which balance agricultural, mining and
vast majority of individuals who do what's right				manufacturing interests with environmental
act on principle because they believe they will				concerns. They also support candidates and
personally benefit as a result.				government officials who are ensuring fair law
Assuming that people have the capacity to				enforcement, protecting the integrity of the
choose between alternative potential courses of				courts, and maintaining military readiness so that
action and that moral principles can enhance a				all citizens can benefit from a government
person's potential for becoming and remaining				designed to protect each individual's right to life,
happy, the next assumption which needs to be				liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
evaluated is whether it is more appropriate to				Assuming liberals are interested in a program for
assume that religion is the proper source of moral				character development which can provide these
principles or whether to turn to philosophy for				benefits to society, it is important for them to
ideas about what's right and wrong. In this				recognize that these benefits only materialize
respect, both conservatives and liberals assume				when individuals are motivated to act on those
there are only two sources of moral principles.				principles which yield these results. Since character
Neither considers the fact that within the past				education based on the formula for happiness
decade a new source of moral principles has				demonstrates that it is in the students' interest to
emerged. This source is science and what the				act on principle, this approach to character
scientific method has revealed about the				education is effective in inspiring them to make
relationship between choices people make and				use of scientifically formulated principles of
how those choices affect the quality of their lives.				morality in the course of daily living. As such,
Given the fact that these principles were				teaching the formula for happiness is a much
specifically formulated as a means of determining				more reliable means of enhancing the welfare of
which potential courses of action maximize a				others than simply requiring students in character
person's likelihood of becoming and remaining				development programs to engage in public service
happy, scientifically formulated principles of				activities such as serving meals in a soup kitchen,
morality provide a more effective means of				picking up litter along the highway, or baking
dealing with the epidemic of unhappiness than				cookies for the residents of the local homeless
continuing to operate on the assumptions about				shelter.
the source of moral knowledge contained in either				Resetting the Moral Foundation
the conservative or liberal approach.				In 1776, a group of British subjects declared their
Scientifically Formulated Principles of Morality				independence from royal rule and went on to
Scientifically formulated principles of morality were				design a blueprint for a way of life intended to
developed by following the same logic scientists				optimize the conditions for the personal pursuit of
used to come up with principles for achieving				happiness. Recognizing that the pursuit of
health and physical well-being. Researchers were				happiness depends on individual self-control, they
able to formulate wellness principles by observing				based the Constitution and the Bill of Rights on
a correlation between certain types of voluntary				the assumption that Americans would continue to
human behavior and a number of serious illnesses.				govern their personal lives with the moral
Studies revealed that people who regularly smoke				principles they inherited from Judeo-Christian
tobacco often end up with cancer, emphysema,				tradition. Although the Founding Fathers were
or heart disease. It also detected that a lack of				aware that science was making impressive
exercise is correlated with diabetes, obesity, and				advances even in their day, they had no way of
stroke. Based on these and other correlations,				envisioning how that moral foundation would
scientists were able to formulate alternatives to				disintegrate when the Christian vision of reality
unhealthy patterns of behavior which they then				gave way to the scientific worldview which
promoted as guidelines for making healthy choices				characterizes America today.
in daily life. These principles for healthy living				"These are the times that try men's souls" wrote
indicate that when we avoid tobacco, street				Thomas Paine at the beginning of The American
drugs, and the excessive use of alcohol, obtain				Crisis. Five months after the Continental Congress
adequate amounts of rest and exercise, and eat				issued the Declaration of Independence, he wrote
a high fiber, low-fat diet, we are doing what we				this essay to awaken Americans to the fact that
can to maximize our potential for becoming and				the war for winning that independence was not
remaining healthy.				yielding the intended, desired, and anticipated
Similarly, the search for scientifically formulated				result. He urged the people of this nation to
principles of morality began by determining which				recognize that if they simply went about their
types of voluntary human behavior correlate with				daily lives assuming the war would be won
a loss of happiness, emotional well-being,				without some effort on their part, they were
contentment, and satisfaction with life. Once these				pursuing a course of action which would have
correlations were determined, alternatives to				disastrous consequences with respect to the
these behaviors were identified. Conceptualized as				future of the American way of life. We now
principles, these guidelines for making choices in				know that those who reevaluated this assumption
daily living maximize a person's potential for				and devoted themselves to the cause, were
becoming and remaining happy.				eventually successful in establishing the first nation
Research which led to the development of				on earth devoted to protecting each citizen's right
scientifically formulated principles of morality				to the pursuit of happiness.
revealed that there are basic similarities between				Like the Americans of his day, we are currently
the voluntary behaviors of the majority of people				confronted with a crisis and with a soul-searching
who become, in one way or another, unhappy as				choice. One alternative involves continuing to
a result of doing what they did. These patterns of				flounder along, arguing about whether choices
behavior are referred to as self-defeating				make a difference in the quality of human life,
because they undermine a person's effort at				bickering over whether morality plays a part in
becoming and remaining happy. Research revealed				the personal pursuit of happiness, and quarreling
that there are the following seven types of				about whether morality must be a matter of
self-defeating behavior which lead to a loss of				religion or whether it should be based on some
happiness, contentment, and satisfaction with life.				philosophy, while each year more and more
Heedless behavior consists of pursuing a course				children move into adult life with virtually no
of action while knowing it poses a threat to				appreciation for the role morality plays in the
something or someone essential to a person's				pursuit of happiness. The other alternative
overall contentment and satisfaction with life.				consists of recognizing that the choices we make
Examples include smoking cigarettes, using illicit				determine the quality of our lives, acknowledging
drugs, driving while under the influence of				that ideas about right and wrong are essential to
consciousness altering substances and engaging in				the pursuit of happiness, and doing what we can
unsafe sex. Self-effacing behavior consists of				to promote the notion that scientifically
regularly pursuing courses of action aimed at				formulated principles of morality are an effective
enhancing the happiness of others while failing to				means of restoring moral reasoning and moral
attend to what is essential to one's own.				action to its proper place at the foundation of the
Examples include a female adolescent who				American way of life.
consents to unprotected sexual relations as a

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A Blueprint for Resolving the Current Crisis In the American Way of Life

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