The Moral Code

About the Book

This slim volume achieves the nearly impossible. Thirty years of hard work are represented in a package that manages three things; it offers a comprehensive moral theory that solves many of the ancient puzzles of moral philosophy; it does so in language that is jargon-free and understandable by any attentive reader, and finally it is a complete reference book for any number of disciplines.

Lawyers can learn that honesty is a moral virtue, amongst other things. Teachers can use it as a textbook for teenagers. The book can also be useful for the penal system. It should be very useful for introductory philosophy courses, and a number of other uses.

But most importantly, the ordinary thoughtful person will find it a guide to a sane and happy life. For example it gives a rational approach to anger management by distinguishing between rational anger and irrational anger, something most anger books fail to mention. Guilt is another moral emotion that can be treated rationally. Most people feel guilty about the WRONG wrong things! Much of what goes awry in marriages is a failure of one or both of the partners to use proper moral reasoning; understanding the moral aspects of a partnership, can reduce the intense emotionality of family quarrels.

We all make moral judgments all the time, but most of the time quite unconsciously, and often we make a moral judgment first and then twist the facts around to suit our judgment. Obviously we should examine the facts first, and then make a moral judgment, one not based on the untutored conscience, but on solid moral reasoning. There are numerous other common fallacies, many of them created by eminent philosophers, such as Immanuel Kant, John Stuart Mill, and David Hume, and we should all be aware of these fallacies. The Catechism is a set of appended questions, which help to apply the theory present in this little powerhouse of a book.

About the Author

Jacob Boulogne, who usually goes by the name of 'Jack', was born in Indonesia of Dutch parents, but spent most of his life in Canada, mainly in Alberta and British Columbia. His first degree is a Bachelor's in Physics and Mathematics, but after earning his teaching credentials, he switched to Philosophy, mainly because of Jack's almost life long interest in morality, and moral reasoning. He ended his university studies with a First Class Master's degree in the Philosophy Department at UBC in Vancouver, BC. This interest in morality is partly due to having spent three years in a concentration camp, when he witnessed plenty of "man's inhumanity to man". For about ten years Jack taught two locally developed courses, the first labeled Philosophy 12, for both Grade 11 and 12 students, and then Ethics 11, mainly intended for the younger students, some of which took Ethics first, and Philosophy the next semester or year.

The photograph seen here was made when Jack was about 45, and since then a lot has happened. It is the only very good photograph he has, and the reader should assume that he is not as handsome as the photo. It was taken in that period of his life when he was extremely busy developing his locally developed courses. The government showed no interest, of course. The idea that textbooks can be written by individuals, rather than by committees, is totally alien to the bureaucratic mind.

But the real reason that Jack had this picture taken was that his son John was absent in Saudi Arabia, and he wished to let him know his father's thoughts were always with him. At present Jack's health is just so-so, but he keeps writing books with a fanatical determination, driven by a desire to fully unlock the logic of morality.