Some Practical Matters

Some Practical Matters

 1.  We accept as a practical matter that humans are exclusively responsible and capable of directing their actions, individually and collectively to bring about an existence that is consistent with individual and collective values determined exclusively by humans. We accept an individual’s rights to hold to values they believe come from non-human sources as long as resulting actions do not affect those that do not hold those values.

2.  We accept as a practical matter that from birth to death we each live in a natural physical world that includes consistent and predictable cause-and-effect. We understand that observation, the disciplines of science, critical thinking and intellectual integrity are the only hope for the survival and development of humanity. We accept the individual’s rights to believe that there are other realities, including those that interfere with physical cause-and-effect, as long as the resulting actions they take do not affect those that do not hold those beliefs. This necessarily implies that public policy in the form of  laws or other influences must show to be based on demonstrable intellectual discipline.   

3.   We accept as a practical matter that interfering with the education, practice, proliferation and use of verifiable information pertaining to any aspects of the physical universe to be intolerable. We accept that non-verifiable or non- corporeal information should not be interfered with, as long as it is not used to interfere with verifiable corporeal information.

4.   We accept that as a practical matter that regardless of the form of government or the personal character and values of those making up the government; all actions and edicts must be fully truthful, transparent and based on verifiable information, intellectual honesty and the best interest of  universal/long term survival and well-being of humanity.

    5.  We accept that as a practical matter that much of our success as a species is based on superior intellect and interdependency. Not only are we most successful when living and working together, each individual is normally most happy when living in and working as parts of various groups.

    6.  Democracy is a sham unless it is based on integrity and transparency.  There must be legal and social recognition that both of these must exist in politics and government. We use the word integrity to mean public communication that is intended to be complete, undistorted truth.  If there is doubt in any statement, the statement must be modified to express the doubt. It is an outrage, treason against those represented in a democracy, when those elected or are to be elected, sway opinion through dishonesty, no matter how carefully the dishonesty is finniest.  Partial or selective truth that fools the listener into believing something to be true that is not, is still a lie. Hiding or withholding information from the voters denies their only participation in a representative form of government.