Ethical motives

Posted

I write in support of Mindy Walker’s election as our next District Court Judge. What sets Ms. Walker apart, in my opinion, is her innate sense of ethics.

To me, this is the single criterion more important than any other, especially since she will be our next judge.

How do I know her ethics are superior when, admittedly, I know neither candidate?

The acts of charity and service on her resume derive from choices that benefit powerless people who are not part of her own circle or community. That is to say, she has repeatedly extended herself to serve the greater good and she could have no rational expectation of ever basking in the glory of thanks or praise. Nor could she expect to receive support or affirmation in a quid pro quo for her gift of time and care.

Her relief work with refugees, her on-site advocacy for abandoned children in Africa, her leadership in providing education and shelter to girls in the Congo are indicative or an ethical drive that is at the highest rung of Charles Sanders Peirce’s Ethical Classes of Motives. Peirce, the founder of American Pragmatism, contended that the meaning of an action or idea is based upon its effects on the conduct of human behavior. In other words, what we do defines who we are.

Ms. Walker’s good works don’t benefit her family or friends. They don’t burnish her social standing or local reputation. Interestingly, her type of ethical action is highly correlated with superior decision-making capabilities in complex situations. For this reason, I trust her and I am voting for her.

Phyllis Chiasson

Port Townsend