Dec 26, 2017 07:58 PM
https://www.ribbonfarm.com/2017/11/28/th...-morality/
EXCERPT: There’s an image that’s taken root in my mind recently that I can’t seem to shake. I picture humanity living in a large, rickety tower, tilting at a precarious angle to the ground — like so: [image]
The tower represents our capacity for moral behavior. Lower levels are more base; higher levels, more virtuous. We don’t need an exact floorplan, but here’s the kind of thing I’m imagining:
Let’s take a look at three possible answers....
MORE: https://www.ribbonfarm.com/2017/11/28/th...-morality/
EXCERPT: There’s an image that’s taken root in my mind recently that I can’t seem to shake. I picture humanity living in a large, rickety tower, tilting at a precarious angle to the ground — like so: [image]
The tower represents our capacity for moral behavior. Lower levels are more base; higher levels, more virtuous. We don’t need an exact floorplan, but here’s the kind of thing I’m imagining:
Ground floor: Perfect zero-sum selfishness. Aggression and exploitation. The war of all against all.
Middle floors: Various flavors of mutualism. “I’ll help you if you help me.” Reciprocity. Tit for tat.
Higher floors: Empathy and compassion. Turning the other cheek. True virtue (not just signaling). A tendency to cooperate in one-shot prisoner’s dilemmas.
Penthouse: Perfect self-sacrificing altruism. A willingness to give time, energy, money, or even one’s life to help a stranger for nothing in return.
Let’s take a look at three possible answers....
MORE: https://www.ribbonfarm.com/2017/11/28/th...-morality/