During the last century [19th], man cast off the fetters of religion. Hardly was he free; however, when he created new and utterly intolerable chains…The kingdom of grace has been conquered, but the kingdom of justice is crumbling too. Europe is dying of this disappointing realisation.

— Albert Camus, The Rebel, 1956, pp 279-280

We all know it, but it bears reinforcement. All of us struggle with the two-edged sword of deciding on wholesome ethical principles and, more so, finding the inner strength to live consistently on or practice those principles.

As a conservative Christian I confess regularly, to God, my sins — my failure in doing what I ought and in ceasing what I ought not to be doing.

Our Integrity Commission and groups like National Integrity Action are correctly holding up the high standard of integrity for all; albeit without a clear definition of integrity. The hidden assumption, or presumption, is that people, in general, not only ought to do better but want to do better. This is problematic. If my ethical outlook is unwholesome or dubious in essence, my sense of ‘ought to’, even when matched with ‘want to’, will not help anyone.

The cutting edges of the sword are the principle edge and the practice edge, and all of us get cut every so often. Let’s illustrate with a relativist who does not believe that there is any such thing as ‘always wrong’ or ‘always right’ with reference to acts or intention to act. Such a person, if he/she is, say, an underpaid and hard-working accounting clerk in a company, may convert some company funds to personal use and benefit without permission so to do. This is done even though it is known to be fraudulent, and seen as what is due and deserved for being underpaid and overworked.

Similarly, if the relativist is a clergyman. He may sleep with any available female in his flock because he is “distributing to the necessity of the saints” (I have actually heard of a species of this devilish defence), and, after all, though married, he is being starved of sex at home and “man haffi eat a food!”

The white-collar relativist lawyer, politician, business mogul, or other ‘big fish’ whom we seek to flush out could argue likewise because, if nothing is always wrong, almost anything could be regarded as right.

The rub of relativism is this: It is delightful to live on (for the relativist), but deadly to live with (for others).

The late Carl Stone said it well years ago: “Where there are no high ethical standards the cost attached to malpractices in public life becomes trivial… The values of the society are fundamentally changing, and hustling, rackets and scams are now considered as normal activity provided you make sure that you are not caught.” ( The Gleaner, 7/12/92)

Religious folk may instinctively gloat at the ethical bloodletting from relativism, but they should remember that absolutism does not necessarily escape the sharp edge of the sword, because though absolutism may be delightful to live with (for neighbour), it is very challenging to live on consistently.

Truth be told, at the level of practice both relativists and absolutists are essentially alike, except that a blundering absolutist may register guilt and seek to change, whereas a blundering relativist may feel badly only if caught and that one has no philosophical reason to desire change.

The lament of the late Arthur Leff, Duke University professor of law, is worth pondering. In a celebrated lecture he said in part: “What we want, heaven help us, is simultaneously to be perfectly ruled and perfectly free; that is, at the same time to discover the right and the good and to create it.” (‘Unspeakable Ethics, Unnatural Law’, Duke Law Journal 6, December 1979)

God help us all with our genuine desire to rout out corruption before our Lord’s return.

Rev Clinton Chisholm served as tutor in philosophy at The University of the West Indies, Mona campus, and as tutor in business ethics at the University of Technology, Jamaica. He is also a former academic dean at the Caribbean Graduate School of Theology. Send comments to the Jamaica Observer or clintchis@yahoo.com.