Rational Morality
Introduction
So I’m trying something new. I’ve drafted a new book, called “Rational Morality”, in which I discuss the need for a rational moral framework to replace the various religious moral guidelines that are in constant conflict, and the social moral frameworks that are constantly shifting.
Each week, I’ll share a draft chapter from the book, starting this week with the Introduction. Comments are welcome. When it’s all been released online, I’ll publish it through the usual book stores and channels. Enjoy!
Something fundamental is breaking. You feel it. So does everyone else.
It’s not just the political chaos, the institutional distrust, or the cultural shouting matches. It’s deeper than that. What’s breaking is our ability to know what’s right, to say it without shame, and to live by it without fear. Behaviors and beliefs that were once considered deviant, unhealthy, or socially corrosive are now promoted as enlightened or even virtuous. Meanwhile, long-held moral convictions are mocked, marginalized, or condemned as intolerant.
The institutions that once offered moral guidance—religion, schools, even the family—are no longer trusted or functioning as they should. They’ve either collapsed, been compromised, or become too politicized to offer clarity. What used to be a shared understanding of right and wrong has been replaced by slogans, shifting rules, and performance theatre. People are unsure how to live, what to value, and whom to trust.
And into that vacuum has rushed something worse: confusion dressed up as progress, obedience disguised as compassion, and power posing as truth. You’ve probably seen it. A man is arrested for praying silently in public. Children are taught to report on their parents’ thoughts. People shout for inclusion while silencing anyone who questions them. These aren’t just strange headlines—they’re signals. And they tell us something important: truth isn’t being debated—it’s being replaced. Replaced by narratives designed not to enlighten, but to manipulate, suppress, and control.
This book is a response to that suppression. But it doesn’t offer another ideology. It doesn’t ask for blind allegiance. It doesn’t care if you’re religious or not, progressive or conservative, academic or working class. What it offers is something more durable: a return to rational morality—a way of living rooted in virtue, reason, and personal responsibility.
Rational morality isn’t about guilt, fear, or following rules for their own sake. It’s about building a foundation—something stable enough to live by when everything else is uncertain. It’s about developing a moral compass that isn’t swayed by ideology or intimidation. One that helps you live well, speak clearly, and stand firm.
The concepts I will discuss are not new. These ideas stretch back to the Stoics and the Enlightenment thinkers who believed that virtue—not pleasure, wealth, or status—is what makes a life worth living. They all knew something we’ve forgotten: character is the cornerstone of personal freedom. Without it, everything else falls apart.
What we’re living through isn’t just a political or cultural crisis—it’s a moral one. And if you want to navigate it, you need more than good intentions. You need moral clarity. You need a code. That’s what this book is here to help you build.
It’s not a lecture. It’s a guide. We’ll look at how morality emerged, why it broke down, and how to rebuild it—chapter by chapter, with honesty and urgency. You’ll see what good, bad, and evil actually mean—not in theory, but in real life. You’ll see how institutions have normalized cowardice and how individuals are enabling evil by doing nothing. And you’ll be challenged to take responsibility—not just for what you think, but for how you live.
You don’t need a priest, a politician, or a philosopher to live well. You need a mirror, a spine, and a compass. This book offers the compass. The rest is up to you.