In Dec 2014 a crowdsourced competition run to choose some Secular Ten Commandments was resolved and the winner ideas published. I had seen a proposal in Dawkins' The God Delusion; actually its author's Foundation was one of the organizations behind the competition.
I found quite in accordance with the results, which inspired me to re-array and adapt them to make my own list, with which I intend to follow in my life (with varying success I admit):
I. Think
for yourself, which entails:
a. Keep your inner right to the freedom
of thought, to not having your mind subject to anyone or anything else.
b. Trust only evidence and never
prejudice, which entails:
i. The scientific method is the most
reliable way of understanding the natural world.
ii. Think independently of your former
self: be willing to alter your beliefs with new evidence.
iii. Nothing supernatural is necessary to
be a good person or to live a full and meaningful life.
iv. Try to understand the causes of
things.
II. Be
mindful of the consequences of your actions. You are responsible for the
consequences of the acts that are product of your choice.
III. Consider
others, which entails:
a. Your freedom ends where others’
begins.
b. Treat others as you reasonably
expect they want to be treated. Think about their perspective, which entails:
i. Every person has the right to
control over their body.
ii. There is no one right way to live.
c. Consider future generations. Leave
the world a better place than you found it.
IV. Live
with humour; be able to laugh at yourself or at anything. It is healthy and
also an opportunity to reflect.
It's not strange that no. I was the foremost commandment I had chosen in a previous post to the blog.