Quote:
Originally posted by Spanky
I have heard this claim before, in fact I have read whole books based on this claim, but they never really back it up. Absense a higher law where do morals and ethics come from?
I have never heard of how everyone looking out for their own self interest leads to a moral and ethical society?
In the end, how does ones self interest lead to the conclusion one should be concerned about starving children in Bangaladesh?
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Everyone looking out for their own self-interest was perhaps a bit of a simplification. By "self" I also meant those that we hold dear. For instance, I don't rape my neighbor's daughter because I don't want anyone raping my daughter, and if it's okay for me, then how can I argue it isn't okay for someone else.
Same with the starving children. It's in my enlightened self-interest to support the notion of relief for the poor and hungry, in case I ever become poor and hungry myself.
Of course, the most elegant example of this sort of enlightened self-interest brings us back to God, and Pascal's gamble.
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