Studying Kindness Theory

"Kindness theory" is the name I've come up with for the foundation on which I build my ethical views.

Kindness: describing an entity that is generous, considerate, and humane. Theory: the abstract study of a phenomenon. Kindness theory is thus a discipline that seeks to formulate best practices for being generous, considerate, and humane.

Although I invented the term, and although my essays on the subject are for the moment the primary body of work in the field, I have no intention of claiming a monopoly on kindness theory going forward. To the extent that I own it, I bequeath it to humanity as a whole. Other people's interpretations of kindness theory are just as valid as mine, and other people's writings on kindness theory are just as authoritative as mine.

That said, kindness theory in its current form is closely connected to my own experiences and values. I would be more than human if my writing did not to some degree reflect my personal biases and priorities. I hope to ameliorate this effect by welcoming dialogue and offering a platform for other people's contributions, while recognizing that my platform is not the only one on which the work of kindness theory may be organized.

Speaking of which, I enthusiastically consent to receiving comments. There is no response too short or long, no question too obvious or difficult, no reply too presumptuous or retiring. I may write in the sort of English one might find in a textbook, but I don't expect that of my readers. You can also expect that I'll read and reply to all comments unless either my popularity explodes or I disappear entirely.

So: that's the origin of kindness theory, and a broad description of its goals. How it approaches those goals will have to wait for another posting.