Universal ethic

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A universal ethic is an ethic that applies universally to humanity. It thus transcends culture and personal whim. The criteria for a universal ethic is that it is universal to humanity, it comprehensively applies to all acts, its content is non-arbitrary, and it is logically consistent. Ethical philosophers have examined "natural moral law" to discover or deduce a universal ethic. They have included John Locke, John Stuart Mill, and Ayn Rand. The formulation of the universal ethic by Fred Foldvary in The Soul of Liberty includes three rules:

1. Acts which are welcomed benefits are good. 2. Acts which coercively harm others are evil. 3. All other acts are neutral.

Moral or natural rights are a correlative of an ethic. The universal ethic therefore determines natural rights. A moral right to do X means that the negation of that act is morally wrong. For example, the right to own property means that it is morally evil for others to forcibly take that property.

A society has liberty when its laws conform to and enforce the universal ethic.

See also natural law