The idea below is a tool I use to help me valuate my judgements of things using the Discipline of Desire formatted into a scoring system. I just write something down, score it, compare it to other things on my list.

It uses 4 points to measure:

• Excellence in Character: Are you doing the right thing?
• Social Value: Does everyone enjoy it?
• Helpfulness: Does it help along your path towards an excellent character?
• Naturalness: Is this something found regularly in nature, or is it un-natural?

It’s not perfect, but it’s quick and mostly in-line with the Discipline of Desire.

Below you will see kindness, above all, is most valuable (especially your own), good weather is only slightly preferred over bad weather, and racism is strongly in the negative, mostly because it’s also un-natural, for example, compared to stealing.

It’s just a helpful (and quick) mechanism that helps me put my value of things into a easy to call-upon system.

The Point System

• Excellence (virtue)
  • It is excellent character +1
  • It is not excellent character -1
  • Not an act of character 0
• Nature (universal harmony)
  • Natural +1
  • Un-natural -1
• Socially Valueable (it serves everyone)
  • Socially valuable +1
  • Socially invaluable -1
  • Socially neutural 0
• Helpfulness (indifference)
  • Helpful to excellent character +1
  • Unhelpful towards excellent character -1
  • Neutural effect on excellent character 0

Examples

Kindness +4

• It is excellent character +1
• Socially valuable +1
• Helpful to excellent character +1
• Natural +1

Kindness (from others) +3

• Not an act of (your) character 0
• Socially valuable +1
• Helpful to excellent character +1
• Natural +1

*Yes, I chose to place kindness (from others) as helpful towards developing good character (preferred), but out own kindness is obviously more important!

Sex +2

• Not an act of character 0
• Socially valuable +1
• Neutural effect on excellent character 0
• Natural +1

Good Weather +2

• Not an act of character 0
• Socially valuable +1
• Neutural effect on excellent character 0
• Natural +1

Bad Weather +1

• Not an act of character 0
• Socially invaluable -1
• Helpful to excellent character +1
• Natural +1

Stealing -2

• It is not excellent character -1
• Socially invaluable -1
• Unhelpful towards excellent character -1
• Natural +1

*Note, the reason stealing can be seen as natural, is because even in the animal kingdom stealing happens normally.

Racism -4

• It is not excellent character -1
• Socially invaluable -1
• Unhelpful towards excellent character -1
• Un-natural -1

*Note, here, how racisim, though, is un-natural, as it is not something seen elsewhere in nature