Ethical Empowerment by Arthur D. Schwartz is an interesting book on the philosophy and sociology of ethics which explores a range of themes. At the start of the book, what is expressed beautifully is the writer’s conclusion that all ethical sentiments in their purest essence are in fact a product of love. Schwartz returns to this point in several ways and explains in further detail why ethical empowerment promotes good values and encourages greater love for self and for others. He also illustrates a role for ethical empowerment as a collective cohesive force and also as an important feature of a balanced individual.

Schwartz is robust in his exploration of philosophical ideas and terms. There is a natural momentum to the narrative and I admire his probing and candid approach to dealing with the ideas of famous philosophers. At several points, there are references to Christian aphorisms which beautifully express the author’s sentiments. Although the author does not accept a particular faith as being authoritative, his conclusions regarding the importance of love in ethics form a faith in itself which is supported by empirical reasoning. In this sense, he has taken a common approach in many religions – which is that of spreading the message of universal love and illustrating its power through various stories.

Thus, religious readers may be gratified to see an alternative non-religious approach to the philosophy of ethics as taken by Schwartz, and would be pleased to find that several of his conclusions are also found in major religious traditions. Also, non-religious readers are likely to find his attempt to break down the rigidity and pretentiousness of classical philosophy admirable and his conclusions regarding the role of love in ethical empowerment justified and elegant.

A salient merit of the book is its attempt to convince the reader that simple truths are often more effective than complex logical arguments and that the harmony of logic and emotion is a great foundation to ethical empowerment. The book attempts to explore ethics without any loyalty to a specific religion or faith, suggesting that humanity would find it easier to fully embrace ethical empowerment by overcoming barriers and pre-conceptions.

Ethics is the study of morality, and morality encompasses our standards of right and wrong. These standards are usually presented as a priori principles, the Ten Commandments for example, or as a posteriori paradigms, for example Aesop's Fables. In Ethical Empowerment: Virtue Beyond the Paradigms, Arthur D. Schwartz argues that neither paradigms nor principles can be a sustaining motivating force for ethical behavior. The only enduring ethical power is love.

But this is not just any kind of love. In Ethical Empowerment: Virtue Beyond the Paradigms, Schwartz, hypnotherapist, life-long student of philosophy and director of the Integral Hypnosis Center in Massachusetts, argues that neither self-centered love nor totally self-sacrificial love are capable of generating pure good: "Any moral perspective that is purely other-regarding or purely self-regarding is headed down a slippery slope without exit."

Rather, what is required is the "dynamic dualism" of the interests of the self and the interests of the other. This concept is captured in the second of the two great commandments in the Bible, often referred to as The Golden Rule: Love your neighbor as yourself. Schwartz astutely points out, however, for this dynamic, dualistic principle to produce pure good fails without humble acceptance and love of the self: "We must come to grips with the lack of compassion for the self."

Even though his writing in Part II of this two-part book is much more accessible, to a great extent Schwartz's comments, well-grounded in philosophical principles and processes, carry the most meaning for others well-grounded in these concepts. However, if you enjoyed Aristotle's Children (and, like me, find yourself rereading parts of it over and over again), then you will love Ethical Empowerment: Virtue Beyond the Paradigms.