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Washington Ethical Society
7750 16th Street, NW
Washington, DC 20012
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Philosophical Concepts 
What we believe determines life's meaning and direction
Ethical Culture's Basic Philosophic Concepts
To be clear about what you do not believe is not sufficient. It is what we do believe that determines the meaning and direction of our lives. In moments of uncertainty and crisis, we use our assumption about how life really works to make choices that create our personal and social identity and destiny. To genuinely lead your life requires becoming clear about what you value.
Humanistic Spirituality
Our animating vitality increases when we are conscious of our infinite interrelatedness and act with that awareness. Humanistic Spirituality is not supernatural. Our quality of life is determined not just by what happens, but by our own attitude and energy. To elicit the best from life, from ourselves and from others, we must learn to generate a vitality of spirit that is loving, fair, joyful, and creative in every circumstance.
Spiritual Ideal
Every religion and person makes assumptions about the ultimate possibilities in life. Consciously or not, we each answer these basic philosophical questions: First, what is the nature of the universe? Does the "cosmic other" most resemble a monster, a lord ruler, a benevolent father, an oblivious storm, a machine, a power pyramid, or what? Second, given my understanding of how the world works, what ground rules would best lead me to a good life?
The philosophy of Ethical Culture, as articulated by its founding leader Felix Adler and Ethical Society leaders over the movement's first 75 years, seeks a "reconstruction of the spiritual ideal." That is, if you do not believe that the universe is ruled by a man-god in the sky, how does the world work and what is the source of ethical values?
Organic Connection - The Creative Power
While entropy is prevalent in the universe, there is also a systemic and dynamic phenomenon that integrates individual elements into a greater more complex whole. More specifically, each unique element can elicit from the others qualities that create a whole greater than the sum of its parts. This organic connection creates life on both the simplest and most complicated levels. It works on the level of ecosystems, and has been shown effective in human relationships and organizational systems.
Ethical Manifold
The Ethical Culture philosophy of the founding generation proposed a spiritual ideal that was not a personified Supreme Being but an ideal state of supreme being. The Ethical Manifold is the quality/state of interdependent, eliciting-the-best relationships necessary for humans to experience and benefit from being organically connected. The Ethical Manifold is an image of an ideal community where each person is treated as unique and essential to the whole. Each also elicits the best from all others. Such a person lives by ethical values derived for that end. The result is a whole greater than the sum of its parts.
The Ethical Manifold reflects the paradoxical nature of human reality: Human beings are not only individual, autonomous beings in charge of their own destinies, but also interdependent creatures cultivated by their social environment. If individuals are removed from their social context, their personal identities and destinies are altered. To succeed, every person must satisfy both internal personal needs and external social needs. Integrating these two aspects of the self is the challenge of every person and the burden of ethics and religion. |
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