Morality And The Good Life Pdf

[Tisa Ammann]

LinkedInand 3rd parties use essential and non-essential cookies to provide, secure, analyze and improve our Services, and to show you relevant ads (including professional and job ads) on and off LinkedIn. Learn more in our Cookie Policy.

I use The Story of Ethics in many of my classes, and the book contains an excellent discussion of Plato's philosophy regarding virtue and human fulfillment. Part of Plato's case for his view that we must be moral in order to be truly happy rests on a discussion of the four cardinal virtues: wisdom, courage, moderation, and justice.

Finally, let's do a little thought experiment. Imagine a genie showed up and offered you two different types of lives. Life #1 would include a series of illnesses, injuries causing chronic pain, and ultimately a long and unsuccessful bout with cancer. In Life #2, however, you avoid these challenges. You enjoy a lifetime of good physical health, and die of old age in your sleep. Which of these lives would you choose?

If you are rational, you would clearly choose Life #2. Plato thinks that we are in the same boat with respect to our moral health. The rational person would choose a life of wisdom, courage, moderation, and justice, rather than one of foolishness, cowardice, a lack of self-control, and injustice.

If we would choose physical sickness over physical health, we are irrational. Similarly, if we would choose moral and spiritual sickness over moral and spiritual health, we are making an irrational choice. We must choose to live well, if we want to be truly happy.

This is the 10th article in a weekly series on building character and building cultures of character. I'll be posting these articles on Tuesdays. Feedback, questions, and any suggestions for improvement are welcome! I'm taking a break for a bit, and will resume the series this fall.

Admittedly I did intentionally skim over defining Effective Altruism in the essay itself because I thought that adding a link and referring back to this community for more information would be a safer bet. While also, the word limit was getting a bit tight too.

We all want to do good and live an ethical life, but how do we do that? I think it starts with self, even though a lot of what seems to be held up as ideals to strive for with regard to ethics is based on the thinking that we must be selfless. Rather than subscribing to the conventional ideas of altruism, we need to acknowledge our deepest underlying self-interest to be able to do the most good we can in the world.

I came to notice something interesting in the Effective Altruism community. There seemed to be a growing group of folks who were pushing to make bigger lifestyle changes, especially when it came to our relationship with non-human animals. Most of the discussion seemed to centre around talking about going vegan instead of just vegetarian or being omnivorous, let alone carnivorous. But, not everyone was on board. Some seemed to think it's asking too much and that compared to top-down societal changes the impacts of bottom-up individual changes would be almost irrelevant.

This whole debate made me think more about why we make the choices we do, especially when it comes to other animals. It's not just about the environment for me; there's a deeper ethical question here. And so I started to see how our choices fall into three broad categories or circles.

As with the circles of consumer choices, as we delve deeper into the circles of altruism, the commitment intensifies, but the breadth of easy choices diminishes. The challenge is to align actions with deeply held principles, even when it demands more effort or sacrifice.

If we agree that humans are fundamentally self-interested, at the deepest level, then we begin to question what would be best to fulfil said self-interest. I propose that the best returns come from a life filled with kindness, compassion, and most importantly, love. This journey unlocks our potential to do good in the world, revealing the latent capacities within our unconscious. Without such an endeavour we would continue to hold, in reserve, potential that's been stored in our unconscious. This goes to further say that we have a responsibility to be our truest selves not only for us but for others as well.

Only once we are able to get to a place of true self-acceptance, self-compassion, and self-love, then, as a natural by-product, do those interactions with ourselves spread into our interactions with the external world. This is why prioritising internal validation is much more useful than external validation because the more we begin to opt for these internal sources of validation, the less we'll need validation from external sources.

It lays the foundation for moral education, shaping our character and enabling us to navigate the world ethically and responsibly. By prioritising self-discovery, we actively combat self-deception. In a world where it's easy to unconsciously or passively deceive ourselves, this journey keeps us grounded in reality and truth. Every experience gains depth and significance on the path of self-discovery. It assures us that as long as we continue this introspective journey, every step forward enriches our lives with purpose and understanding.

Life is a series of situations, each with its own set of challenges. Have you ever noticed how easy it is to act out of character when faced with unexpected pressures or temptations? It's like trying to stick to a diet but caving in when someone offers you your favourite dessert.

By being conscious of how different situations can sway our actions, we can better prepare ourselves. This isn't about being rigid or inflexible but about understanding our values and ensuring they shine through, no matter the circumstance. It's about building resilience and consistency in our character, so we don't waver when things get tough.

Now, imagine if life came with a manual, a set of hard and fast rules to follow. It might seem easier at first, but life's complexities don't always fit neatly into boxes. That's why it's more effective to have guiding principles rather than strict rules. Think of them as the North Star for your moral compass.

This approach is all about personal responsibility. It's about each of us finding our own moral compass from within through understanding ourselves better. Instead of just accepting what others tell us is right or wrong, we need to be able to figure things out for ourselves.

Sure, there are some universal values and principles we should follow. But just reading or hearing about them isn't enough. We need to truly understand and feel them to make them work in real life. Think of these questions as tools. We don't need every tool for every job, but they're handy to have. If something doesn't feel right, these questions can help us rethink our choices.

And here's the thing: once we've cleared out our own blockages and fully opened our valve, that love and understanding doesn't just benefit us. It starts to overflow, impacting those around us. It's not about seeking external validation or love to fill up our cup; it's about tapping into the source we've always had inside and letting it benefit not just ourselves, but all our fellow animals, human and non-human.

The accumulation of the work we've done in the two previous layers culminates into what we can do on a larger scale, how we guide the overflow into our contributions to society more broadly. This contribution is threefold and constitutes the largest areas of ethical impact we can have in our lives.

Imagine these three contributions as signposts on a road trip. They help us gauge if we're on the right path, and while each milestone might be a bit tougher to reach than the last, they're all part of the journey.

It may be easy to dismiss this third circle because of the perceived inconvenience or the belief that individual actions don't make a significant impact. However, it's essential to recognise that every choice we make sends a message about the kind of world we want to live in. By opting to work in ethically run companies, donating what we can, and rejecting exploitation, we not only alleviate immediate suffering but also contribute to a broader cultural shift towards empathy, compassion, and ultimately, love.

In essence, Principle Altruism is a call to live authentically with our self-interest in mind, making choices that resonate with our core values, and recognising the ripple effect of our actions on the broader world.

Remember the videos where I talked about self-improvement and self-discovery? Think of self-improvement as trying to "fix" ourselves out of fear of not being good enough. In contrast, self-discovery is like embracing who we are with love, knowing we're already good enough. It's about getting to know ourselves better and getting to a place of self-acceptance, self-compassion, and self-love.

Imagine starting with a blurry selfie of who you are. Every experience, whether a setback or a win, adds clarity to that picture. Over time, with each lesson learned, the image becomes crystal clear. Every high and low just adds more detail to our self-portrait.

If a man is famous for his podcasts about neurology, ice baths, and dopamine, is it a matter of public concern that he is a cad? When his ex-girlfriends tell tales of his dishonesty and tendency to rage and provide corroborating evidence of the deception, is that an appropriate topic for the cover story of a national magazine?

This is the debate online after New York magazine put on its cover a lengthy article about the promiscuity, deception, and alleged emotional abuse of a podcaster-scientist-influencer named Andrew Huberman.

Huberman is almost preachy, but in a very particular way that matches the spirit of our age: In a secular and materialistic age, where there is little room for talk of virtue or morality, any prescriptions for the good life take the form of scientistic talk of optimization.

Huberman never says that you address loneliness by connecting with others. Connection is a weakness in the modern ethos. Instead, you overcome loneliness by working on yourself. By making yourself more powerful, less dependent on others. Breathe better. Turn to the sun. Take full control.

3a8082e126