Overview
Because each human being's conceptual faculty is volitional, an individual does not know automatically what values and actions will be good for him or her. Whenever we are faced with choices for action, we might attempt to calculate what the consequences of each alternative action will probably be; however, reality is so complex and so replete with subtle interconnections that such predictions are unreliable or impossible, unless we use a more systematic approach. In short, a human being needs ethical principles.