Baseline

Baseline is a mathematical approach to evaluate the ethics of a given action involving another sentient being within an eternal framework.

In short, Baseline is an estimation of the average of all experiential existence. In theory, an exact value for Baseline exists, but we can only approximate it with higher degrees of accuracy and precision.

Baseline Model

In the Baseline model, 0 (zero) represents the estimated average life quality of all sentient life by tentum that we are aware of or can reasonably assume has existed.

Individual lives can be expressed numerically as:

Zero (0): life quality exactly matches the average.
Positive (+X): life quality is better than the average.
Negative (-X): life quality is worse than the average.

While it cannot be known with absolute certainty, the more accurate and rigorous Baseline is calculated, the closer one should get to the true Ethica Ultima.

However, Baseline can still be determined at a lower accuracy to the best of one's ability without extensive equations and number crunching.

Understanding Baseline

The best way to understand Baseline is to imagine averaging the life quality for all sentient life that has existed on Earth to this point.

This does require assumptions on our part about what is an is not sentient until we can better determine this scientifically, but the true Baseline value would still exist regardless of our ignorance; we are just attempting to the best of our ability to estimate it.

So, in essence, you are imagining picking a card at random from an unimaginably large deck where each card is a different tentum for every sentient life that has existed on Earth. The average life quality across all cards is 0 or the Baseline and so any life with a higher than average quality is positive and any with a lower quality is negative.

While life quality is subjective, imagine you had to live as every single one of these and then had to choose between two different tentums which you would rather do again if you had to do one. Having lived as them all, you may prefer mundane and quiet over eventful and violent given that you still got plenty of both across all lives.

Baseline

Baseline Model

Understanding Baseline

See Also