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Altruism is the misconception that morality is (primarily) about other people.
Selfishness is the misconception that morality is (primarily) about oneself.
on morality ❦ https://twitter.com/amitcc/status/1328553920549974018
Selfishness is the misconception that morality is (primarily) about oneself.
on morality ❦ https://twitter.com/amitcc/status/1328553920549974018
Each of these lead to different problems in practice:
Altruism commonly leads to abnegation of the self — self-pressure, guilt, "just enough" self-care vs thriving, external (vs internal) motivation, and thinking through others.
Selfishness to detachment — fear of others, feeling imposed on, inability to cooperate deeply/intimately
Selfishness to detachment — fear of others, feeling imposed on, inability to cooperate deeply/intimately
And each have different underlying philosophical errors:
Altruistic morality has problems like:
What makes people happy is partly based on what they think is right. Do you chase their changing views, or form your own view of what's right (based on something other than pure altruism)?
People's wants conflict with each other.
What makes people happy is partly based on what they think is right. Do you chase their changing views, or form your own view of what's right (based on something other than pure altruism)? People's wants conflict with each other.
(One could take the view that altruism is about what is 'good' for people, regardless of whether they are into it or not. But that would move morality to being about some third thing—like eudaemonia, or service to God, or whatever you think is the Right thing—not pure altruism.)
Selfish morality has problems like:
Risking your life — e.g. fighting in a war, or sacrificing your life for your child — is never the right call. (Because if you no longer live then there's no one to be selfish.)
Like altruism, it boils down to what you think is right.
Risking your life — e.g. fighting in a war, or sacrificing your life for your child — is never the right call. (Because if you no longer live then there's no one to be selfish.) Like altruism, it boils down to what you think is right.
They both have some great advantages, too!
Altruism:
Wider sense of purpose
Connection with others (helps w/ learning new perspectives, truths, skills; also needed for family/closeness)
Selfishness:
Forming your own judgement
Learn what you care about
Boundaries
Altruism:
Wider sense of purpose Connection with others (helps w/ learning new perspectives, truths, skills; also needed for family/closeness)Selfishness:
Forming your own judgement Learn what you care about Boundaries
But morality is about something else. https://twitter.com/reasonisfun/status/1157240258532130816
Morality isn’t about you or me, it’s about both+everyone. https://twitter.com/reasonisfun/status/1274693866248159233
It's about what's good for everyone. https://twitter.com/reasonisfun/status/1194166119269064705
Morality isn't about my needs or your needs, it's about the whole thing (which includes both of those, and how they interact). https://twitter.com/reasonisfun/status/1169309055803940870
Thinking about morality as trying to optimise/fulfil one person's interests or another's is assuming that
1. people are static (they have static interests that can be fulfilled, instead of being dynamic entities that change all the time)
2. their wants are subjective/arbitrary
1. people are static (they have static interests that can be fulfilled, instead of being dynamic entities that change all the time)
2. their wants are subjective/arbitrary
Because if people are dynamic, it doesn't really make sense to try to optimise what they want: that thing is always changing.
At best you could go meta and try to optimise e.g. the process by which they change. But then it's not really about people, it's about that process.
At best you could go meta and try to optimise e.g. the process by which they change. But then it's not really about people, it's about that process.
And if morality is about trying to fulfil someone's interests, that implies that changing interests is out of the bounds of morality.
In other words, if morality is about what you want, it doesn't make sense to say you can improve what you want (as 'improve' refers to goodness).
In other words, if morality is about what you want, it doesn't make sense to say you can improve what you want (as 'improve' refers to goodness).
Both altruism and selfishness focus on *people* instead of ideas. https://twitter.com/reasonisfun/status/1049565363934035969
People update their ideas following what they think is right (true/good).
To say morality is about people is a bit like pointing two mirrors at each other.
To say morality is about people is a bit like pointing two mirrors at each other.
Bonus thread on morality & 'should's: https://twitter.com/reasonisfun/status/1123292791696760832
