Abolition of Man: The Tao/ Appendix

Most important part:

2. The Law of Special Beneficence

I believe the law of special beneficence is the most important part of the Tao because I feel that this is one of the things we take for granted. Whether it is a sibling or a parent, we see our family almost every day. As annoying as our younger sibling may be or overbearing our parents are, we must not forget that these are the people who have supported us, in some way or another, and guided us to where we are today. Although we get into arguments and disagreements with a family member, we can not forget that they are still a part of us: 'Nothing can ever change the claims of kinship for a right thinking man' (Anglo-Saxon. Beowulf, 2600). Family is an important part of society. We learn from our parents and relatives what is right and what is wrong through their actions. If we collide with them on a misunderstanding, we must not blame them nor seek vengeance. We need to understand or simply admit that our family is not our enemy, but simply wants the best for us, but it is our choice whether we want to listen to them or not.


My Concept:

The Law of Reasoning

I think a concept of reason can be added to the Tao. People tend to rush into a decision, or follow what their acquaintance believes to be correct. In society, we are faced with difficult situations where we must choose. For example, how are we to look at abortion with teen pregnancy? It is easy for us to say that killing a living being is wrong, but if we logically think about it, how will this child be raised after it is born? A teenage mother is not educated enough, nor responsible enough to care for a baby. The girl would definitely not be able to afford raising a child on her own either. Most likely, the only answer to this situation would be to let her parents take care of the baby. This poses another problem: what if the girl's parents are not understanding towards this situation, and the girl is not able to tell them she is pregnant? Another option would be giving the child in for adoption, where we face another issue: how will the baby be raised? Who are the people that will be caring for this child? This is where the law of reasoning comes in: is abortion something to consider? In other words, we must think things through before coming to a decision, and the law of reasoning would teach and guide people to do so.