The world is amoral, and so should you be.

"But look," you say, "there's utilitarians all over the place! Christians, Muslims, Jews! Kantian duty ethics! How can you say the world is amoral?"

Let me introduce you to emotive theories of ethics. To quote encyclopedia.com:

"...moral judgments and speech acts function primarily to (a) express and (b) influence states of mind or attitudes rather than to describe, report, or represent facts, which they do only secondarily if at all. For example: To say "Stealing is wrong" is not primarily to report any facts about stealing but to express one's negative attitude toward it. Emotivists also deny, therefore, that there are any moral facts or that moral words like good, bad, right, and wrong predicate moral properties; they typically deny that moral claims are evaluable as true or false—at least in respect of their primary meaning."

In a nutshell, why do humans have morality? In order to pass judgement on others, to express positivity and negativity, to give their own emotions power over others. Absolute theories of ethics- including utilitarian ethics- ultimately still put this power in the hands of those who define what good is.

Research in the moral foundations theory supports the idea of fundamental moral emotions- emotions that directly relate to moral judgement. These are feelings related to harm, fairness, loyalty, authority, and purity. It should come as no surprise that conservatives and liberals prioritize different emotions, and if you look at their preferred news sources, that the media catering to either side also panders to those moral emotions.

So understand that morality is a means to organize and mold the emotions of others into a tool of power. By adopting any set of morals wholesale, you are giving up power over yourself. Look at the world today. Which organizations are in power? The religious, and the political: the absolute morality, and the absolute amorality. Both these moralities allow for power to be concentrated in the hands of one man.

Does that mean you should go around raping and pillaging with no care to consequences? No; you should be amoral, not immoral. Beyond good and evil, not full retard. Recognizing that morality is a tool doesn't mean you should throw a perfectly good tool away. Just because the world is not what you think it should be doesn't mean that you should throw your life away.

Use it to your advantage. Learn to recognize what moral emotions drive yourself. Make yourself strong and powerful enough, such that you are always able to do what you think and feel is right. There is a saying on TRP that only the strong can be truly generous, and it is the same for morality in general- only the strong can truly claim to be moral. Otherwise they are merely acting within the framework of another, expecting rewards and avoiding punishments for what they do.

The one moral system I have not mentioned yet is virtue ethics, or the Aristotelian system. I find this moral system to be the single best philosophy for life. Its fundamental teachings are that the human psyche has 3 main parts- the "vegetative" desires (automatic reflexes), the "animal" desires (desires in the usual sense), and the rational mind. For a man to live well, his desires must be in harmony with his reason, and he must be strong and wise enough to do what he feels is right.

Being good is not something that is achieved purely by reading, adopting a mindset, or praying. Becoming good is a question of habit, wisdom, and skill. You must accustom yourself to making the best choice when in a difficult situation. That involves knowledge and practice. You must know enough to be able to determine the best choice, then also be emotionally and physically strong enough to carry your words through.

Apart from identifying several features that seem universally wrong- murder, theft, and adultery- Aristotle does not think there are any universally wrong things. On the contrary, the best thing to do in any situation always lies in between a few extremes. Being overly spendthrift and giving away all your money is bad, as is being so stingy that you cannot have a good time with your friends; the golden mean is generosity, where those whom you care about know and appreciate what you do for them, but you also ensure that you are well-taken care of. Being foolhardy and rushing into fights all the time is stupid, as well as being cowardly; the golden mean is courage, which is knowing when to take a stand, and being strong enough to hold your ground when the time comes.

This forms the core of my RP mentality. I have things I desire, things I care about, and things I know are good and that make my life better. My life is fulfilled not just by banging chicks and acquiring money, but by finding (and losing) companions along my journey. Life is good, because the only absolutes are those that I have considered to be necessary, and I recognize that the absolutes of others are their weaknesses.

Only with this understanding- that morality is a tool of the emotions- can you be truly moral, and transcend your programming to obey absolute directives. Then you can begin your journey towards building a life for yourself in which you can be truly fulfilled, by discovering those things that you truly value.

For beginning reading, I suggest the Nicomachean Ethics by Aristotle, followed by The Moral Emotions by Jonathan Haidt.