Dr. Clare W. Graves

From the Historical Collection of the work of Dr. Clare W. Graves of William R. Lee, March 2001

1959

AN EMERGENT THEORY OF ETHICAL BEHAVIOR

BASED UPON AN EPIGENETIC MODEL

Clare W. Graves

1959 – Schenectady, New York

There is no pretension, on my part, that the mode to be utilized in this paper or the theory to be presented is THE MODEL or THE THEORY OF ethical behavior. The model and the theory represent in my mind principles upon which we may open the way for more systematic investigation of ethical behavior than has been allowed by models and theories previously developed. However, it should be said that there is behind the thoughts in this paper the firm belief that somewhere within the boundaries delineated will arise insights closer to the truth of what ethical behavior is and is like than have been provided by models or theories previously presented.

This paper will lift the concept of epigenesis from embryology and will apply it to the field of ethics. The theory will be derived from the organismic point of view of Rousseau, Smuts, Schweitzer, Lecky, Goldstein, Maslow, et. al. These will be reinterpreted within Krech’s concept of Dynamic Neurological Systems and the General Systems point of view of Bertalanffy. The paper will proceed as follows: First, I shall express the reasons why a different model and a different theory are needed. Then, I will defend this position by a limited examination of existing models and existing theories. Next, from the examination of models previously used and theories previously expressed I shall derive the criteria which must be met by a more adequate theory of ethical behavior. And in turn, I will present more details as to my theoretical position, why this position is taken, my basic assumptions, how I am attempting to conceive of ethical behavior, the proposed model for representing ethical behavior and the proposed theory of ethical behavior.

1 >>next