Ethics - A New Look
LRH pointed out on a tape once that we have all done everything possible and when you consider that we are immortal this is quite understandable. Being immortal does not just mean having an infinite future. It also means having had an infinite past, so we have all been kings and planet crushers just as we have all been paupers and slaves. As such we have all followed or participated in varying moral codes, some of which have been diametrically opposed to other moral codes we have also subscribed to. So it is not surprising that there is confusion over ethics and moral codes with a consequent difficulty in following a moral code and applying ethics where it needs to be applied. In fact LRH did a great job in sorting through this morass and defining ethics to the degree that he did.
In all the discussions I have seen of late, there appears to be confusion between ethics and justice. In short ethics is what one applies to oneself. It is a level of responsibility one apples to one's own actions, whereas justice is that activity applied by a group to its own members or others.
I mention this because, as the president of APIS, I frequently get requests to apply 'ethics' to someone seen as violating some perceived ethics or tech principle and while I understand the intention of the person requesting such action, I continually have to point out that APIS is NOT a police force and we do not dispense justice.
However the word 'ethics' IS used colloquially to mean justice and as a punishment (Justice has been degraded in society as the dispensation of punishment rather than the strict application of Justice in its original form) and so is viewed by many as being rightly unjust.
According to the book, Introduction to Scientology Ethics, the very first sentence says:
All that Ethics is for - the totality of the reason for its existence and operation is simply
that additional tool necessary to make it possible to apply the technology of Scientology.
So what does that mean? Does it mean that one can do what one likes? Does it mean that one can do something and call it scientology?
No. It means what it says, "... That additional tool necessary to make it possible to apply the technology of Scientology." Not to apply a variation of Scientology. It does not say that. I think it is safe to say that LRH meant standard technology, not a variation of standard technology.
So that is Scientology Ethics is for.
And the tools are found in the book itself, where firstly personalities (not people) are defined, both good and bad, how they became so and the deeper meaning behind that. Then, describing the conditions of existence so discovered and the formulae for changing those conditions of existence.
This is someone one applies to oneself. That is ethics. If another applies or attempts to apply it to one then that is considered to be justice. Note there is no punishment with the application of the conditions, it is simply the application of a specific formula used to change the condition an individual may be in to a better condition and so improving his capability to be audited and move up the grade chart. This is not punishment. This is an advancement and fits the description of 'the contemplation of optimum survival,' as distinct to just survival (because a being is, as mentioned above, immortal and will survive anyway).
So what is 'Standard Tech?' It is the technical writings of LRH and does not include additives or changes, variations or omissions to the writings of LRH. Much has already been written on the subject and a good article, 'What is Standard Technology,' can be found at https://the-scientologist.com/whatisstandardtech.shtml which succinctly describes it very well.
When one really studies the subject one can see that it fits together like a jigsaw puzzle and brings forth a clearer picture of the universe and beings in it. Every principle, every axiom, every piece of information or data fits in with other pieces to make a whole. As well as the philosophy the technology of application is also worked out and presented as is for use. If one feels the need to change or 'improve' that which has been found to be optimum then one has not, in fact, got the full picture. This is where ethics comes in. And it is where responsibility enters the fray.
It is not a matter of being right, or being better. It is a matter of applying that which has already been found to be the most workable and gets results. LRH Technology.
