Have Integrity
Be Kind
Be Courageous
This can only work, of course, because the words are given quite specific definitions.
Kindness is regarded as an instinct that has given our species an evolutionary advantage and which different people exhibit to differing degrees.
It also has a spread dimension - many people are fiercely protective of their families while showing total disregard
for most of humanity.
Courage is overcoming our fears and does not exist in the absence of fear. What is unusual about
the Triax is the way Integrity is defined as "not lying to yourself". This is close to how most people use it but,
defined in this way, Integrity can act as the missing link that allows the three axioms to be mutually reinforcing. Combined with Courage, it also
makes the Triax distinctively secular.
When people claim that there is a natural morality that we can all agree upon, they are usually restricting themselves to things that could be derived from a requirement for kindness which would suggest that murder and stealing are bad. The second rule of the Triax covers all these but the three rules working together suggest, for example:
Obviously a much better case is made for the Triax in the book |