Be good...do good...for good

  • Published
  • By Maj. Robert Charlesworth
  • 60th Logistics Readiness Squadron commander
TRAVIS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. --  Did you know that our Air Force core values are the end result of philosophers debating for thousands of years?

Throughout history, moralists advanced and built on theories meant to examine one's life and to separate the good from the not-so-good. Philosophical giants like Socrates, Kant, Hobbes, Locke and John Stuart Mill postulated theories which generally addressed one of three moral or ethical dimensions: the agent, the act and the outcome. Put another way, their theories sought to examine who we are (agent), what we do (act), and why (outcome).

Let's take a closer look at these three dimensions. First, early philosophers thought that a person (agent) should be good. Being good, in their parlance meant possessing great virtue or character. This agent-centered philosophy advances the idea that morality begins at home, with the person. Later, theorists realized that the agent definition of "the life worth living" was limited, and that even a good person requires more guidance. They realized the actions people take were just as important as who that person was.

To be a good person you must do good things (act). Act-centered philosophies command us to obey laws, do our duty and execute our responsibilities. Finally, (outcome)-philosophies concentrate on the ends or the reasons why people do things. The idea of an outcome-centered philosophy is that the ends justify the means as long as it represents the greatest good for the greatest number of people. In other words, a person is a good person if they do things for good reasons. For example, you may see the good in a person who steals a loaf of bread to feed their starving family even though the act is wrong.

Today, we can see the limitations of each of these theories on their own. For instance, we wouldn't admire a person who didn't have the courage to act when they see wrong in the world, even if they are a good person. Next, think of all the honest, hard working Nazis who didn't actually get their hands dirty. Some of them, no doubt, were by many measures good people, they did their duty and followed orders, but what was the end result of their actions?

Finally, in the U.S. we know the ends don't justify the means. Our ideals of individual rights spring from a rejection of utilitarianism. What's more, in the military our Laws of Armed Conflict govern our military actions. For instance, in the Air Force we often decide not to bomb targets because we assess the military gains are not worth the risk of collateral damage.

Luckily for you, me and the U.S. Air Force, Gen. Ronald Fogelman, former chief of staff of the Air Force, and his staff realized the shortcomings of any of these three moral philosophies on their own. They brilliantly blended all three moral dimensions while crafting our core values.

We see an agent imperative to be good in the initial value Integrity First. The next core value of Excellence in All We Do commands our acts -- to do good by doing our duty to the best of our ability. Finally, we're reminded to put others first and to do things for good reasons by putting Service Before Self.

Your core values are pretty special. They represent the best thoughts of the greatest thinkers throughout history. What's more, the core values represent both a minimum standard as well as a goal we can never reach. For instance, the minimum of Integrity may be to simply not lie, but as a goal this value represents all virtues and it means trying to be the best possible person you can. The minimum of Excellence has you doing things by the technical order, while the goal has you giving 100 percent effort with everything you do in your life. Finally, as a minimum, Service of others requires you to get out of bed on time; imagine what the world would be like if everybody always put the welfare of others before themselves. So be good, do good, for good, and realize our Air Force's core values are on target.