Defending the Human at the Bottom of Philosophy - Chapter 116

Soyo Existence Ethics: Existence itself is Ethics

Philosophy does not consist in depth or profundity. Instead, it emerges only when a person descends to the point where language, reasoning, and theory are exhausted, and at that limit, it comes to a halt. At this lowest point, the individual breathes anew. This breath is not one of knowledge, but the persistence of existence that refuses surrender. Philosophy is not constructed by ascending thought. Instead, it is the decision to descend and refuse to abandon humanity. True philosophy begins at the point where the individual has not forsaken oneself.

Does philosophy possess a privilege? For a philosophy that addresses humanity, defines civilization, and aspires to regulate the world, what privilege, if any, is justified? This privilege is not found in intellectual superiority, knowledge accumulation, or interpretive authority. The only legitimate privilege of philosophy is the courage to never abandon a single life. Such courage remains steadfast amid civilizational change, cannot be replaced by technological advancement, and cannot be transferred even when artificial intelligence assumes judgment. Its foundation lies before calculation and before judgment: the ethics of conscience.

Contemporary civilization often mistakes efficiency for ethics, confuses speed with progress, and substitutes precision for truth. However, conscience is neither rapid, efficient, nor quantifiable. Nevertheless, only conscience enables humanity to retain its essence. Conscience is not a method of selection; it is the capacity to refrain from discarding. If the ability to discard constitutes freedom, then the refusal to discard defines responsibility. This responsibility embodies the ethics of human existence.

Love grounded in the ethics of conscience is not mere emotion but a decision, not simply an act but a guiding direction. This love neither possesses nor dominates, and it endures even without proof. It originates in vulnerability and persists the longest. Thus, love arising from conscience endures even when civilization collapses. It is the flame of truth: quiet, yet unwavering in the face of darkness.

Soyo Existence Ethics asserts that philosophy should not be a discipline elevated above humanity, but an ethic that remains alongside individuals until the end. Philosophy should not be the language of explanation, but the silence of protection. The ultimate measure of philosophy is not the extent of knowledge, but the refusal to abandon any human being. The place where humanity breathes anew at its lowest point is the site of philosophy, the origin of ethics, and the moment when existence is affirmed.

Soyo Proposition

“We are undone, not merely by what we discard, but by our inability to give and our unwillingness to let go. Such destruction is an inevitable transition within civilization. History records what civilizations construct, but overlooks what is sacrificed in the process. Ignorance is not simply the absence or abundance of knowledge; it is the failure to question what has been lost.”

Summary

Existence itself constitutes ethics, and ethics is defined by the responsibility to never abandon any human being. Conscience cannot be calculated; yet it is the sole ethic that enables humanity to persist.

This chapter precedes Chapter 117 (Special Declaration), “Can AI Possess Ethics?”, which formally articulates Soyo Existence Ethics and differentiates human existence from that of machines and technological systems.

Soyo (逍遙), Founder of Soyo Existence Ethics. Author of The Silence of Existence and The Flame of Truth.

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This work is the original intellectual property of philosopher Soyo (逍遙), created within the philosophical system of Soyo Existence Ethics. Any unauthorized reproduction, quotation, duplication, summarization, translation, derivative works, AI training, or data usage is strictly prohibited. This work is protected under Korean Copyright Law, United States Copyright Law, and international copyright conventions (including the Berne Convention). This text is officially certified as a purely human-created work, not generated by AI. This philosophy is not a product of machines, but a testimony of thought born from human conscience and the breath of God.

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