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It sounds like you're saying it's far better to be kind for altruistic reasons. Is that right? Some persons (me included) suspect that humans rarely if ever a
by CoastalCoder 2y ago
It sounds like you're saying it's far better to be kind for altruistic reasons. Is that right?
Some persons (me included) suspect that humans rarely if ever act with true altruism; that it's actually a nicely dressed up form of self-serving hedonism.
And so for us, the challenge becomes how to get ourselves to act good / kind despite that. One way is to find ways to intentionally tie kind behavior to our own self-interest.
- beepbooptheory 2y agogp is refering to a morality that is deontologically grounded, not just one based on altruism. Here it is not necessarily for one "reason" or the other, but rather acting the way some ideal person would in a perfect world (famously for Kant within the "kingdom of ends" where every person is an "end to themselves"). It's a rather huge theoretical distinction that at least in the West goes all the way back! In general, one shouldn't confuse ethics itself with the whatever one might think is the most viable ethical system! It isnt a product to market. Utilitarianism is no less silly the anything else, and has its own ridiculous edge cases and all that.
- CoastalCoder 2y agoThanks for introducing me to the concept of deontological ethics! It's been fascinating to read up on something about which my thoughts were only half-formed.