27. Paris: 8th Philosophical Meeting (14 pgs.)

ACT I - CHAPTER 27

PARIS

8TH MEETING:

ETHICS — PART 2

Saturday May 5, 2018

Paris France

They had played against Club Lion of Paris, one of the few teams in France that matched their strength. Alexandre had recovered from his instep injury and played wearing Boris’s T-shirt. The crowd was dressed in yellow, the same colour as their rivals. ‘Roar,’ the mascot cheering for the rival team, failed to reach its goal. That afternoon Alexandre and his teammates won three to zero.

Everyone was already thinking about the World Cup just around the corner. The Global Football Organization had reached an agreement with the Russian government to ensure that extra security measures would not ruin business.

That month Alexandre had spent several sleepless nights. He summarized the last meeting and prepared the next one, a continuation on ethics.

As always, Yellow picked him up at the hotel. In the same armoured sedan that had once saved his life, they reached an office building. They went up to the heliport and took off in one of Mr. Walker’s helicopters, admiring the aerial view of Paris on that bright day.

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They landed at a luxurious Provençal-style house on the city’s outskirts. Heavily armed guards stood at the entrance beside two armoured vehicles.

In the grand dining room, he met Arturo and Ricardo. After lunch, they cleared the table and set the stage. As always: Ronald’s picture and the ball. Beside them, the metaphysical tetrahedron, in black granite, polished like a mirror. At the centre the glasses and Vodka. Alexandre turned on the recorder.

“Today is my turn to open Ronald’s letter,” Ricardo said. He took the butcher knife and opened the envelope.

“DEAR EAGLES:

THIS IS RONALD SPEAKING.

THIS MEETING IS TO OPEN A DEBATE.

TODAY FOCUS ON WHAT YOU GAIN WITH RATIONAL ETICHS.

THE QUOTE: WHO SAID: THE PURPOSE OF MORALITY IS TO TEACH YOU NOT TO SUFFER AND DIE, BUT TO ENJOY YOURSELF AND LIVE.

A) JOHN LOCKE

B) AYN RAND”

“Oh no! I’m not sure, but my intuition says John Locke,” Arturo said.

“I’m not sure either, but I’ll choose Ayn Rand,” Ricardo added.

“It sounds like Ayn Rand to me too,” Alexandre said, completing the verdict.

“Damn it! I lost one ounce of gold again!” Arturo exclaimed, checking his phone.

“Yes, you did,” Alexandre laughed. “Ayn Rand said that. Now you need to pay us.”

“What are you laughing at?” Arturo protested, making the transfer. When he finished, he said, “Can you stop laughing and read the joke?”

“Okay. Here’s the joke,” Alexandre said, but he couldn’t read; he was laughing too hard.

“Come on, Alexandre! Read it!”

“THE JOKE: WHAT’S THE GOLDEN RULE OF CENTRAL BANKS, POLITICIANS, AND TAX COLLECTORS? TAKE AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE AND CLAIM IT’S FOR THE PEOPLE.”

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Everyone laughed, shaking their heads in embarrassment.

“Are you ready to acclimate!” Alexandre shouted, giving his pep talk as usual.

“Yes!” they yelled, knowing the session would be intense.

“Are you ready to suffer!” Alexandre called out.

“Yes!”

“No pain…!” he shouted, prompting them to finish.

“No gain!” they yelled back.

“Are you chickens?” Alexandre shouted.

“No!” they screamed.

“What are you?”

“Eagles!”

“Are you sure!”

“Yes, we are eagles,” Arturo yelled and thought, If you don’t jump alone, you are not a real eagle! You need to do it this month!

The atmosphere turned electric. They were ready.

They recalled one conclusion from the previous meeting, the meeting of the storm. It had also been about ethics.

“Last time we concluded that all that is rational is good, and all that is irrational is bad,” Alexandre said. As usual, they hanged a banner as the other meetings. It said:

RATIO – MATH – ETHICS – JUSTICE – TRUST

“What is the definition of the word rational? Can you look it up, Arturo?” Alexandre asked.

“Rational comes from the Latin rationalis, from ratio, meaning reason or calculation,” Arturo read from an online dictionary. “It’s about thinking things through, using your mind to understand, not just following the majority.”

“It catches my attention,” Ricardo said, “that rational comes from ratio, which implies to measure with some kind of unit, the number one of math.”

“If you are a rational-animal, you are a ratio-animal, a math-animal, isn’t it?” Arturo asked.

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“Indeed. Human progress derives from science and technology, impossible without math. This table, the tetrahedron, your phone, your clothes, all of it exists because of man’s mathematical mind,” Alexandre said.

“Humanity have progressed technologically, but not ethically,” Arturo replied.

“That is true, perhaps, because we have not connected math with ethics,” Alexandre said.

“How so?” Arturo asked.

“Nature is mathematical, and everything in the universe is in balance, including you,” Alexandre said. “You can’t cheat nature or math. You can’t lie to an equation. The equal sign of math shows that one side is the same as the other. That equality is mathematical justice. All nature is in equilibrium. Energy does not create or destroy, it conserves. When you choose a rational ethics, you are choosing math ethics, which means you are choosing to act accordingly to nature justice,” Alexandre said and thought, Lenel will be punished.

Arturo scratched his head and took a sip of water.

Alexandre stood up walked and returned with a bronze sculpture of a blindfolded woman, twice as tall as the ball. He placed it on the table next to the tetrahedron. In one hand she held a scale, in the other a sword.

“This is the symbol of justice. What’s on one side of the scale must match the other. You can’t cheat a scale, you can’t cheat nature, you can’t cheat the equal sign in math,” Alexandre said. “Things are what they are, independent of any opinion. If you choose a rational ethic, you choose math ethics. You’ll act justly, respecting facts, like this scale.”

“What you gain personally if you choose a math ethics?” Arturo asked.

“Trust.”

“Trust? Why?” Arturo asked again.

“People will trust you. Your wife, children, boss, clients, they’ll trust you because you’re just and honest. You act according to mathematical principles, based on facts you can verify with your own eyes — not out of revenge, vanity, propaganda, or favours.”

“But there are criminals and psychopaths everywhere. They are not interested in ethics lessons,” Arturo said.

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“Yes, but their ignorance makes them the biggest losers. Only math ethics allows you peace of mind, and with your neighbours. Parents should be an example to their children. There would be prosperity and justice in the world,” he said touching the sculpture of the blindfolded woman. A long silence followed, all of them still.

They toasted their discoveries and took a break. They needed air. They walked through the gardens surrounded by tall trees, a miniature Versailles. Arturo, holding the ball in one hand and Ronald’s picture in the other, asked, “Do you think you’ll qualify to the World Cup?”

“Who knows,” Alexandre answered. “But France chances are good.”

“I think Argentina will win this time,” Arturo said. “We have a great team.”

“But you don’t have the Hand of God to make the Goal of the Century,” Alexandre smiled hugging Arturo.

“I think you’re right. I never imagined that goal would be called the Goal of the Century. But even less did I imagine I’d be in a philosophical meeting like this. The book’s topics are heavy, but I think the fruit is sweet. Aristotle was right.”

Back in the Provençal-style mansion, they resumed their meeting.

“Ricardo, can you summarize your benefits of choosing a math ethics?” Alexandre asked.

“You are a rational animal: a math animal. Your math-ethics, allows you to be objectively just, successful, trusted, be happy, build a better world. Your greatest benefit is peace of mind and own real self-esteem.”

Then Alexandre asked them to replace the banner for a new one. This one it said:

MATH ETHICS AND COSMIC CONTEMPLATION

“There is something else you gain if you choose a math-ethics,” Alexandre said.

“What is that?” Ricardo asked.

“When your math-ethics aligns with nature’s math, your actions align with the cosmic order. You participate in the universal music, which is the language of mathematics. It can be said that you surf the wave of the cosmos. You know, objectively, that your actions are just.

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This gives you the smile of the Mona Lisa,” Alexandre said. “You smile because you are amazed to contemplate your actions playing in harmony with the actions of the universe. You are a kind of musician of the cosmic orchestra playing the music of the universal partiture. Your movements follow the ballet of the cosmic choreography. In some way, when you choose to act with math ethics, your actions exist within with the golden number,” Alexandre said.

They debated the topic. They didn’t agree in everything, but they were able to listen what they didn’t agree. They knew that the sign you were thinking from your neocortex, was when you were able to understand a thought different from your own, without accepting it or disqualifying the other person.

Alexandre asked them to replace the banner for a new one. It read:

CONFUCIUS – LANGUAGE – VALID CONCEPTS

“Confucius was keen in improving language,” Alexandre said. “You need clear definitions not only to protect language but to discover new truths. That improves your intelligence.”

“Indeed,” Ricardo added. “The worst thing is to use words like parrots, as memorized cultural sounds. I think Confucius knew this when he said he wanted to reform language.”

“Indeed,” Alexandre said. “I’m discovering something else.”

“What is that?” Arturo asked.

“When Confucius wanted to reform language, I think he referred to maintain the objective value of language, which is made of valid concepts, the ones who contain percepts, the ones who are connected to reality. Valid concepts are the ethical currency of an incorruptible society,” Alexandre said.

“Why?” Arturo asked.

“Because reality cannot be corrupted. Valid concepts are cognitive gold.”

They took another break and went out to the gardens. They needed air. Alexandre took Ronald’s picture, Ricardo carried the ball, and Arturo the tetrahedron. Powerful lights illuminated the entire garden. The tetrahedron reflected them. It looked like a football stadium. Several guards, armed to the teeth, patrolled in pairs.

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“Spain also has good chances to win the World Cup,” Ricardo said as they walked. They kept talking, speculating which countries would go to Russia. They passed the ball for a while.

The term acclimatizing the mind was appropriate. The topics were heavy. Walks and breaks were necessary. Aristotle knew it when he said: ‘The roots of education are bitter, but the fruit is sweet’. You pay the price to climb your own Mount Everest. Your reward? The view from the summit.

After some time, they went back to the salon. They placed the tetrahedron and Ronald’s picture back on the table. Their next topic was virtues.

They replaced the banner for a new one. It read:

VIRTUES AS MEANS TO ACHIEVE VALUES

“To achieve your values,” Alexandre said, “you must be a virtuous person.”

“What do you mean by virtue?” Arturo asked, holding the ball.

“Let’s look at its definition,” Alexandre said, watching Arturo set the ball on the table and search his phone.

“I’m reading,” Arturo said. “The word virtue comes from the Latin virtus, which itself comes from vir, meaning ‘man.’”

“So virtue comes from vir, meaning male?”

“Yes. Initially, virtus described the excellent qualities of men: physical strength, courage, and moral fortitude.”

“It makes sense. In those times, only men went to war, and you need to be qualified to go to war, otherwise you die,” Ricardo said.

“Virtues are your actions to achieve your values. Values are your ethical goals. If you choose reason, purpose, and self-esteem as your values, your virtues are the actions you take to achieve them.”

“Can you give an example?” Arturo asked.

“Yes, follow me,” Alexandre said, standing up.

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They walked past the guards to the illuminated garden. On a terrace stood three Olympic bows and arrows. In the background, about twenty meters away, were three Olympic targets.

“Those are your values,” Alexandre said, pointing to the targets.

“Now, we’ll test our virtues,” he said, handing each man a bow and arrows. “Let’s shoot.”

Alexandre touched his pocket; Boris’s GPS was there. He shot first and missed. Then Ricardo missed too, but Arturo’s arrow struck the target, though not the centre.

They practiced for an hour. Many arrows disappeared into the forest behind them, but by the end they were hitting the targets, not in the middle, but at least hitting them.

“Those targets represent your values. The bows and arrows represent your virtues, including your actions to achieve your values,” Alexandre said. “Here we can see the connection between ethics and metaphysics.”

“How so?” Ricardo asked

“Plato duplicated the world. Remember? His values exist in the invisible world. You’d have to aim your arrows to Olympic targets that exist up, in the invisible world. Do you see any?” Alexandre asked looking up, waiting them to do the same.

“Do you see any? He asked again looking pointing to the sky.

“I don’t.”

“I don’t either.”

“With the invisible targets, you will fail; with those we are looking with our own eyes, we have the opportunity for ethical success. Aristotle’s values are like these targets, visible and reachable here on Earth. Your values depend on how you see the world. Plato’s values exist in the invisible world he imagined; Aristotle’s, here, in the material world everybody can see is real.”

“You’re saying that the way you see reality defines your values?” Arturo asked.

“Yes. Ethics stand on metaphysics. Remember when I sat in the beam and you were a pillar?” Alexandre said.

“Yes.”

“I was the pillar of epistemology,” Ricardo intervened. “I remember perfect that day.”

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“I was the beam of ethics sustained by the pillars,” Alexandre said.

Later, they returned to the salon. Ronald’s picture and the tetrahedron were back on the table. Alexandre asked them help to hang the next banner. It read:

COGNITIVE FREEDOM: DIFFERENTIATION

The new subject was the power they gained knowing how to gain real freedom, not political, but cognitive freedom.

“Remember the power you gain focusing your mind? Alexandre asked looking the banner.

“Yes. It allows you to differentiate options. You can choose, therefore, be free,” Arturo answered.

“I want to explain that again using this camera,” Alexandre said, placing a professional camera on the table. “This camera is not automatic. You need to use your hands to focus the image, set the light, everything. It’s like an old professional camera, nothing automatic. The only difference is that it doesn’t use film but a screen,” he said, showing them the screen.

“How do you focus the image to get a clear picture?” Arturo asked, standing and taking the camera in his hands.

“First, put the strap around your neck,” Alexandre said, watching him do it. “Hold the case with one hand and the lens with the other.”

“And how do you focus the lens?” Arturo asked.

“You need to rotate it. You’ll see the image on the screen,” Alexandre said.

“Now I have a clear picture!” Arturo celebrated, showing them the screen.

“Now put the camera on the table,” Alexandre commanded.

“Are you planning to take pictures?” Arturo asked.

“Yes,” Alexandre answered, putting the strap around his own neck.

Follow me. We’re going to play a game.”

“Tell us the rules,” Ricardo said as they followed him to a corner of the room.

“The rules are simple,” Alexandre said. “I’ll take two pictures of you in each corner. Stand together and watch what I do with the lens. Ready? Smile! That was the first one. Now, a question: what did I do with the lens?”

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“Nothing,” Arturo said.

“What are the consequences?”

“The image is unfocused,” Arturo said.

“That means you got a blurry image,” Ricardo added.

“Right. Now stay still, smile again… what am I doing with my right hand?”

“You’re rotating the lens,” Arturo said.

“Which means you’re focusing the image,” Ricardo added.

“Correct. Now smile… yes! We’ve got the second picture, and the image is focused and clear. This is the first corner. Let’s move to the next.”

They repeated the process in each one. Then Alexandre used the printer he had requested for the meeting. He printed the images on letter-sized paper. Two per corner: one blurry, one clear. When they sat again, Alexandre showed them a blurry image.

“This picture belongs to one corner of the room,” he said. “Your mission, if you decide to accept it,” he joked, “is to agree which corner it belongs to. You have one minute.”

“This looks like modern art, a nebula of colours, mushroom-shaped shadows from nuclear explosions. You can’t make out a single detail,” Ricardo said, frowning.

Arturo and Ricardo stood, tense, their movements erratic. They studied the image, then the four corners of the large room. They walked to each, scratching their heads, debating, raising their voices. Finally, they agreed, both still frowning.

“We think this image corresponds to the first corner,” Ricardo said, his words sharp like knives.

“Are you sure?” Alexandre asked, holding back laughter.

“Well, we have doubts, but analysing the shadows and colours, that’s our verdict,” Arturo said placing the blurry image on the table.

“This is the focused image of the first corner,” Alexandre said placing it next to the blurry one. “Do you maintain your verdict?” Alexandre asked, struggling not to laugh.

“Don’t laugh! What kind of game is this!” Arturo protested.

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After comparing them, debating and rising the voice again, they maintained their verdict, still frowning, jaws tense.

“Well, you lost this time, my friends. The blurry image belongs to the third corner. I wrote it when I took the picture,” Alexandre said and burst out laughing.

“Stop laughing, man! You’re cruel! How can we choose with these bloody blurry images? Stop it!” Arturo shouted, watching Alexandre laugh into tears.

“What you’re living, my friends, is the tragedy of the human species,” Alexandre said, still laughing.

They repeated the process with the next images. They lost every time. Then they returned to the table.

“What’s the most valuable thing you can choose in this image?” Alexandre asked, showing the blurry photo of the first corner.

“How could you choose? You can’t differentiate nothing!” Arturo complained.

Then Alexandre showed them the clear version.

“And what’s the most valuable thing you can choose in this one?”

“Well, I’d choose the golden cup on that piece of furniture,” Ricardo said, as Arturo nodded.

“If you think with blurry concepts — like these blurry images — do you have clear options?” Alexandre asked, showing the unfocused photos.

“No,” Ricardo said.

“Of course not! Are you kidding? Why all this drama to explain something so simple!” Arturo exploded, frowning and throwing up his hands.

“It’s tragicomic!” Alexandre started laughing again. “Can I ask you a question, Arturo?”

“Yes.”

“Can you choose if you don’t have clear options?”

“No! You know you can’t! Dammit! We saw this before! You are so bloody repetitive!” Arturo answered clenching his fists, watching Alexandre was fighting with himself trying to contain his laugh again.

“And if you can’t choose, are you free?”

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“No!” Arturo shouted and stood up, “Boody merry no! Fuck! You told us this before!” he exclaimed piss off.

“What did I do to take the clear picture?” Alexandre asked putting his finger to the lens of the camera.

“You rotated it,” Arturo answered.

“All the times?”

“Yes, each time.”

“And that happened automatically?”

“No.”

“It happened instantly?”

“No.”

“Did I have to make a decision to rotate it?”

“Yes.”

“Did I make an effort?”

“Yes.”

“Well, my dear friends, the same happens when you want focus your mind,” Alexandre said. “First, is not automatic; second, is not instantaneous; third, you need to make an effort; and fourth, you need to do it each time. To think is not automatic. Thinking is volitive. What part of your brain thinks?”

“Your neocortex,” Ricardo answered.

“Correct,” Alexandre said. “Please help to replace the banner for a new one.”

After they hanged it, it reads:

NEOCORTEX VERSUS PALEOCORTEX

They continued their discussion.

“When you debate, decide, or judge, distinguish your thoughts from your attitudes. You may act from your neocortex or from your paleocortex. You need to know the difference and remember it,” Alexandre said, paused and continued.

“The neocortex can understand a thought different from its own without needing to accept it or demonize the person who holds it. It focuses on the objective argument. It does not care what it believed before. When it sees new evidence, it can admit it was wrong.

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It is not interested in showing how much it knows. It detects grey zones. It can judge percentages, analyse different aspects, and set limits to risks. It is the math brain. Its emotion is curiosity, calm, and wonder. It does not feel attacked and is not aggressive. It is not focused on winning but on discovering objective truths,” Alexandre said.

“And the paleocortex?” Arturo asked.

“The paleocortex is empathic, aggressive or naive. It can feel attacked or desperate. It can be blind. It calculates only two percentages: zero or one hundred. It sees risk as none or total. Want to know, now, its friends or enemies. It is focused in preserving life,” Alexandre said, took a sip of water and continued. “So, keep an eye on yourself when you think or debate. Which one is acting? Your neocortex or your paleocortex? Ask yourself: Am I acting from one or the other? The neocortex should be the rider; the paleocortex the horse.

A person who evades, attacks, defends, or disqualifies is likely acting from his paleocortex. In that moment his paleocortex has kidnapped his neocortex. He is not rational, therefore not human,” Alexandre said, looking at Arturo.

“Why you are looking at me. Are you accusing me of acting from my paleocortex?” Arturo asked shouting.

“You tell me. Are you?” Alexandre returned the question calmly.

“I don’t know, am I?” Arturo asked with his hand in his chin. He stood up and walked in silence, thinking.

They continued debating the advantages of using the neocortex, the rational part of the brain. They concluded that it should command decisions, because it has the capacity to do so. The paleocortex — the impulsive, instinctive, irrational part of the brain — should obey it. They concluded the neocortex should ride the paleocortex, just as one ride a horse.

Later, Alexandre closed the meeting by reading part of Galt’s speech from Atlas Shrugged book. It stated that the morality of reason was based on a single axiom: existence exists, and on a single choice: to live. The values were reason, purpose, and self-esteem. The corresponding virtues were rationality, integrity, honesty, justice, productivity, independence, and pride.

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Although Ayn Rand had inspired them, and they agreed with her on metaphysics, morals, epistemology, and art, they disagreed with her on certain political issues — not in theory, but in the implementation of capitalism.

They concluded the meeting by toasting Ronald’s picture and the tetrahedron, smashing the glasses against the wall, as always. Alexandre stopped the recorder. They smiled at one another, exhausted, and marvelled at how far they had come.

They needed only one more meeting to finish the topics of the book. But after it needed to be compiled, edited, revised, published, and commercialized, and that was a whole different story.

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