FAQ

What is meant by “liberation”?

We use the term liberation primarily in the way Buddhists or Jains use it—to refer to liberation from suffering, however, we do not subscribe to mystical or oversimplified statements about the nature of suffering and how to eliminate it; nor do we subscribe to speculative metaphysical beliefs (e.g., belief in supernatural entities, reincarnation, karma, etc.) Our ultimate aim is total liberation for all sentient life, however, we accept that this is not a fully realizable goal in the present; nevertheless, we believe it is possible to minimize suffering far beyond the current standard of living for humans and non-human animals. Antiquated ways of thinking about the world and our existence are holding back this possibility.

Practically, we propose various ways to help alleviate suffering in the here and now—most importantly, by living wisely and learning to use decentered awareness and reason to resist or modulate destructive or self-defeating emotions, behaviors, desires, and thought patterns. We also strongly advocate for research into more radical forms of suffering abolition. The term liberation also represents our sociopolitical commitment to liberty for rational beings. Unlike some political groups which advocate strongly for either a positive (freedom from the state of nature, freedom of opportunity, freedom to flourish) or negative conception of liberty (freedom from oppression or coercion), we advocate for the realization of both conceptions.

Is your group political?

Our aims extend into the political sphere, however, we do not advocate a highly specific sociopolitical theory. We believe that political-economic systems must be adaptable — they must change in light of new evidence (such as, research findings that reveal what empirically works to promote flourishing in a given region, or with a particular population), and they must change to accommodate a degree of theoretical flexibility.

Our ethical views entail a commitment to a concept of social justice that is based on unconditional universal compassion. Specifically, this means we aim to establish basic rights in the form of legal protections for all sentient beings in the developed world (see our about page, specifically principle #5). This view of social justice entails a commitment to negative liberty (freedom from oppression or tyranny) and positive liberty for all persons (freedom of opportunity / freedom to flourish to the extent possible in the given environment). A sensible balance between these two conceptions of liberty is essential.

In the case of humans (and other rational beings), this includes a right to self-determination, and a right to protection from suffering (as far as possible given the level of social development). In the developed world this would include guaranteeing the necessities of life to all (e.g., healthy food, clothing, shelter, clean water, rescue and medical services), and working together to provide these things to those in the developing or undeveloped world.

We advocate ethical stewardship of non-rational beings (non-human animals)—that is, striving to non-maleficence (non-harming), to eliminate their suffering, and to promote their happiness as much as possible. This would involve judicious interventions into the natural world (e.g., immunocontraception for population control, trap-neuter-release programs, immunization programs, habitat design, genetic therapy, etc.).

While membership is open to all who agree with our core principles, Ataraxism is not plausibly compatible with political ideologies that are highly authoritarian or anti-collectivistic (e.g., authoritarian communism, theocracy, fascism, unrestrained capitalism, systems that deny rights based on race / class / gender / sexuality, etc.)—since these ideologies do not have a commitment to universal beneficence or to respecting the lives and rights of individuals.

How do I join?

If you are interested in joining the Ataraxist Society please contact us at contact (at) ataraxism (dot) org and we will email or mail you an official application.

Applicants should be in general agreement with the Ataraxist Core Principles.

Membership is free at this time, however, at some point in the future (pending 501c3 non-profit status) we will be asking that members pay dues—on a sliding scale based on income. We will waive dues for those experiencing financial hardship (e.g., unemployed, part-time employed, students, disabled, etc.). Funds from member dues will be used to grow the organization and pay for sustaining the website, production of literature, etc.

Thank you for your interest!

Do you have to be vegan to join the Ataraxist Society?

No. We encourage our members to do what is possible, in their lives, given their unique circumstances, to follow the Ataraxist Vows. How one puts these vows into practice in their lives is up to them. A vegan lifestyle—which seeks to avoid products made through harming animals in any way—is very praiseworthy, and a worthy goal for any Ataraxist; however, we do recognize that some individuals will not be able to live a fully vegan lifestyle (e.g., health issues, economic barriers, etc.). For these individuals we recommend doing whatever they can—given their constraints—to implement the Seven Vows in their life.

We recommend that all members engage in conscientious consumption—that is, avoiding funding entities (as much as possible) which create products that are derived from, or linked to, harming or exploiting human and non-human animals—as a very practical, everyday way to make the Seven Vows part of one’s life. We provide links to help people transition toward conscientious consumption (and veganism) on our links page, however, we oppose a standard of purity that moralistically judges one’s consumption choices in our very imperfect society.

Do you have to be an agnostic or atheist to join the Ataraxist Society?

We do not require members to eschew all non-natural spiritual beliefs, but some forms of spirituality or religious belief are incompatible with the rationalist principle outlined in our Preamble. If one feels their spiritual beliefs are compatible with our principles they are welcome to join.

What kind of moral or metaethical theory is Ataraxism based on?

Ataraxism is a constructivist normative theory. We base our theory on relatively non-controversial, naturalistic, and intersubjective axioms. Because of this, Ataraxism should be acceptable to both metaethical realists and anti-realists (moral skeptics or nihilists).