Why should I be moral?
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P.S. for Mr. Chris and other teachers just to make sure that I haven’t been to shopping on Monday :)
The conference started at 11:00 till 16:00. And I am going to tell briefly about topics which were discussed on conference.
The moral contract
The speaker was talking about “Why should I be moral?” He looked at different philosopher’s ideas and here some points that I’ve made:
• We each agree to be moral or not
• If everyone would decide not to be moral and act only in their self interest, we are going to end up with problems.
• Prisoner’s Dilemma: Two suspects are arrested by the police. The police have insufficient evidence for a conviction, and, having separated both prisoners, visit each of them to offer the same deal. If one testifies (defects) for the prosecution against the other and the other remains silent, the betrayer goes free and the silent accomplice receives the full 10-year sentence. If both remain silent, both prisoners are sentenced to only six months in jail for a minor charge. If each betrays the other, each receives a five-year sentence. Each prisoner must choose to betray the other or to remain silent. Each one is assured that the other would not know about the betrayal before the end of the investigation. How should the prisoners act? This is the question of morality.
• Morality solves the Prisoner’s Dilemma situation.
• It may also cause the “free rider problem”. For instance you would think that everyone decides to be moral and you have chosen not to be moral, so you can use other peoples’ trust.
• Morality is a collectively in everyone’s self- interest, but it is in each person’s self-interest to break the agreement knowing this, we won’t trust each other.
• Morality is not a historical agreement; you won’t ever find any historical fact, when everyone agreed to be moral. But it is a hypothetical agreement for each of us.
• “Contractarianism” - names both a political theory of the legitimacy of political authority and a moral theory about the origin or legitimate content of moral norms. It says that it is rational to be moral.
• Morality can’t be based on egoism at all.
David Hume
According to Hume morality is a feeling of approval or disapproval. Morality starts from natural feeling.
Sympathy
• Approval is based on sympathy (feeling pain of people pain, feeling pleasure of peoples’ pleasure). But Hume doesn’t mention about empathy, or he means sympathy, but not empathy.
• We are clearly moved by effects of misery
• Sympathy is a reflection of self-interest.
• All moral judgments come from sympathy
Can morality base on sympathy?
Sympathy is stronger for those we know and love; but moral judgment treats everyone as equal. To do moral judgment you should feel more “public and social”. This can involve reasoning.
According to Hume, we approve of what is pleasurable and useful, and disapprove of what is not. But what about ideas of self-denial, self-sacrifice and penitence? Hume reject them.
The conference started at 11:00 till 16:00. And I am going to tell briefly about topics which were discussed on conference.
The moral contract
The speaker was talking about “Why should I be moral?” He looked at different philosopher’s ideas and here some points that I’ve made:
• We each agree to be moral or not
• If everyone would decide not to be moral and act only in their self interest, we are going to end up with problems.
• Prisoner’s Dilemma: Two suspects are arrested by the police. The police have insufficient evidence for a conviction, and, having separated both prisoners, visit each of them to offer the same deal. If one testifies (defects) for the prosecution against the other and the other remains silent, the betrayer goes free and the silent accomplice receives the full 10-year sentence. If both remain silent, both prisoners are sentenced to only six months in jail for a minor charge. If each betrays the other, each receives a five-year sentence. Each prisoner must choose to betray the other or to remain silent. Each one is assured that the other would not know about the betrayal before the end of the investigation. How should the prisoners act? This is the question of morality.
• Morality solves the Prisoner’s Dilemma situation.
• It may also cause the “free rider problem”. For instance you would think that everyone decides to be moral and you have chosen not to be moral, so you can use other peoples’ trust.
• Morality is a collectively in everyone’s self- interest, but it is in each person’s self-interest to break the agreement knowing this, we won’t trust each other.
• Morality is not a historical agreement; you won’t ever find any historical fact, when everyone agreed to be moral. But it is a hypothetical agreement for each of us.
• “Contractarianism” - names both a political theory of the legitimacy of political authority and a moral theory about the origin or legitimate content of moral norms. It says that it is rational to be moral.
• Morality can’t be based on egoism at all.
David Hume
According to Hume morality is a feeling of approval or disapproval. Morality starts from natural feeling.
Sympathy
• Approval is based on sympathy (feeling pain of people pain, feeling pleasure of peoples’ pleasure). But Hume doesn’t mention about empathy, or he means sympathy, but not empathy.
• We are clearly moved by effects of misery
• Sympathy is a reflection of self-interest.
• All moral judgments come from sympathy
Can morality base on sympathy?
Sympathy is stronger for those we know and love; but moral judgment treats everyone as equal. To do moral judgment you should feel more “public and social”. This can involve reasoning.
According to Hume, we approve of what is pleasurable and useful, and disapprove of what is not. But what about ideas of self-denial, self-sacrifice and penitence? Hume reject them.
2 comments:
very good - thanks.
Thank you too!!!
P.S. "very good" - motivation :)
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