What is the Principle of Goodness?

The Principle of Goodness is a simple statement of the wisdom of the greatest human souls. It is an ethical philosophy, a scientific theory, and an affirmation of the insights of the heart. At its core it is simply a description of good and evil:

• Goodness is to try to benefit every sentient being;
• evil is to try to harm even a single innocent sentient being.

Compare this to "big picture", "greatest good of the greatest number" ethics: with those, only the bulk outcome matters; with the Principle every single innocent soul is as important as all the rest of the world. The 'bottom line' is no longer the final measure of right or wrong. Pollution that causes cancer for a poor villager in a third-world country matters as much as the wellbeing of the President of the United States. "We needed the oil", or "the toxic waste plant had to be in someone's back yard" are no longer winning arguments!

It is this very care for every being capable of feeling joy or pain that separates the Principle of Goodness from the ethics that presently control political and moral decisions around the world.