The nature of Value.

Morality is the adherence of the universe to the ideal state. As such, to judge a course of action, the considerations one must take can be categorized into 3 points.

- What is the ideal state?
- What is the probability and degree that the course of action will move the universe towards that state?
- What is the probability and degree that the course of action will move the universe away from that state?

Value is the judge of ideal. A universe is in an ideal state at such a time as the values within it are fully expressed. By holding values, life differs from non-life, and is alive to a degree correlating to the strength of its morality. One cannot be a amoral life form- such is a contradiction in terms. Life is morality. It doesn't take a wolf to devour another existence and convert it into oneself.
All it takes is a mass of helium, a hydrogen dinner and enough heat to keep things moving. There are plenty natural phenomena that have chiseled out their existence with little help from our universe's founding, and plenty of forms that are dying away to superior competition. Evolution's dominion is not just over the living- from osmosis to radioactivity, their are many ways in which some substances stave off entropy, while others perish.

The wolf however, cares for its children, pack and stomach in a way that simple masses of helium cannot. It sees various futures and judges them against set principles. Even if evolution decides someday that it prefers blobs of radioactive elements at high temperatures, we, the living, will always recognize that it was the wolf who gave meaning to the world around it, and it is the space/time regions it occupies that matter. As such, the very act of living is the act of assigning value. Any attempt not to assign value is either an attempt to cease living or to veil one's purpose, oftentimes even to oneself. (the best liars have always been those who can convince themselves of their own lies. Do not grant trust just because someone is ardent in his beliefs.) Although every living being assigns some sort of value with some level of strength, it has been humanity's providence and glory, to categorize and label these values. Refusing to label them does not make them any less real- it just makes those who abstain less human.

It is the inevitable result of being low on the evolutionary chain, that the human mind is unable to conceptualize the perfect value, and is as such, unable to envision the perfect ideal. However, the principles that we fight for, can be generally split into six categories. All conflict is born from differences in information (IE different beliefs) or from differences in the weight given to these categories (IE different ideals).

Glory is the idea that things should be in their highest state. A chair should be sturdy and comfortable. A picture should be beautiful and have longevity. A person should be earnest and kind. A nation should be vast and successful. The Romans achieved glory, as did the knights who followed in their wake.

Joy is the idea that things should be in their natural state. A wolf should hunt and live with its pack. A sword should be clean and sharp. A movie should be grok-able and interesting. A nation should be caring and stable. Joy is what the founders of America sought from their new land.

Understanding is the idea that things should be complete. A theory should cover all situations. A game should have depth and simplicity. A mind should see far and wide. A nation should be useful and evolutionary. The Greeks achieved the highest understanding.

Knowledge is the idea that things should be located properly. A element should be labeled and numerated. A dog should be loyal and benevolent. A book should be fulfilling and unique. A nation should be purposeful and driven. Knowledge was the objective of the Hebrews.

Power is the idea that things should matter. A fireworks display should be colorful and viewed by many. A market should be central and accessible. A bird should be healthy and grand. A nation should be rich and effective. The industrial revolution was the triumph of power.

Security is the idea that things should exist. A sculpture should be seen. Life should expand. Resources should be used. A nation should be strong and sensible. The world today is seeking security.

Actions that do not support values are either inefficient or evil. Inefficiency is the corruption of an activity by faulty analysis of the probability or degree of the results of said activity. Evil is the corruption of an activity by faulty analysis of the probability or degree of the harm of an activity, or the corruption of an activity caused by imperfect values. All living activity is good, evil and inefficient at their respective ratios. Inefficiency is no less dangerous than evil itself, as it also is competing with good. In so far as one's enemies are inefficient, one can consider that good, as corrupt values or idiotic schemes will only hurt the world with their success. However, as a harbinger of good, inefficient actions must be viewed with equal disdain to actions that are downright evil. In order for a good world to exist, it requires that more actions happen that are good than evil.

Anything that leads the world to an inferior state is evil. What must be realized is that this includes competing with good over limited resources. It is not enough to desire a good world. We must allow good to occur. When people spend money on charities that focus on hopeless activities such as feeding Africa, they are doing evil. Money is not a mercurial stone that can be transmuted into one's dreams. It is authority. It is trust. It is a right to demand from others that they do as you wish. Every time you spend money you are calling upon that trust, that the money you hold is evidence that fulfilling your demands will make the world a better place. Spending on yourself is a generally morally safe activity- Who else but you would know best about your own needs? How can a nation be glorious if its people hunger? How can a nation be joyous if its people are cold? We try to entrust everyone with at least some wealth, because it extends our vision. We cannot see if you need a new computer- only you know the answer to that question. However, it is an abuse and betrayal to take money and use it for a task that you lack proper information to take on.
Understand that just because you have money, the rest of humanity is not obligated to obey you. It is our goal to do good, and money is just a tool for that quest. When money is corrupted by activities such as fraud, it fails in its purpose. It is to be expected that when doing what those who have money tell you to ceases to make the world better, people will stop accepting such money. Obtaining money does not make you akin to those who have repetitively improved the world, and by doing so, have proven that sanction and support of their actions is a good idea, nor does using it guarantee that you will achieve the kind of results that they get when they spend their money.

As such, for money to be an ideal tool, it must be in its proper place- it must move there naturally and systematically. That is why we built the economy, as a tool to judge who we should trust. Interfering with the economy, is the act of not using said tool. Trying to make America work by taxing wealth and giving it to such projects as look good, is like trying to judge the concentration of a solution without use of titration. Sure, a substance may seem like it is a particular solution, and you may obtain some accuracy just by looking at said substance, but you will be far less accurate than if you actually used your tools. Sometimes, you are forced to abandon titration due to difficulties involving time or available tools, however, such situations should never be used to advocate abandoning titration altogether.