Ethiek van de complexe actualiteit

Announcement of the online book: "Morals without a god. ETHICS OF THE COMPLEX PRESENT TIMES (translation of the Summary): How can we decide what is good or bad, forbidden or acceptable, without relying on a god? Shall I sleep with my lover, or rather not? Shall I enlist for pilot on F-16? How should we combat poverty? Is a migrant my comrade, or my competitor? These are ethical questions to which each of us must find his/her answer. But that should be done with full knowledge of the facts, the consequences for the others in society, and for the natural resources of this planet. Each choice will be based on my preferences, my emotions pro and con, my Utopia about the society as I wish it to be. The starting point is our love for our dearest, our next of kin, and for life. However, emotions and temperament can also be dangerous, and we should analyse them consciously, and not follow them blindfolded. Authority, traditions, so-called intuition have no positive role, according to this author, in decisions about good and wrong, and less so when we study the facts. The different chapters are replete with examples from current events. General principles such as responsibility for ones actions, equal rights, property, solidarity, freedom, thou shall not kill, must be reevaluated in each situation. This requires full knowledge of the problem. For this reason the author gives ample attention to our perception of the daily events and how it is steered imperceptibly by the big media. Scientific analysis should be our golden standard here. Then, when choosing norms and values, one should take into account the consequences for others and for society. Sexual values are discussed at length (including poems about love and passion), as well as the deep impact on our freedom of antiterrorism measures. Although the author is not concealing his personal opinion, he continuously underlines the dilemmas and the differing choices that exist. He asks many questions to which the reader can give his/her proper answer. In the last chapter which is somewhat apart the author explains why in his view a belief in god can be dangerous for each of us and for society. The author is emeritus professor of Ghent University, physician and biomedical investigator. This explains the frequent biological angle of his thinking. However this is not a book for specialists. Illustrated