Something to think about

Should you think about your duty, or about the consequences of your actions? Or should you concentrate on becoming a good person?

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wisdomlover
Posts: 42
Joined: Mon Feb 26, 2018 11:37 pm

Re: Something to think about

Post by wisdomlover »

Daniel Dennett proposed the term "benselfishness" for what is being called here "enlightened self-interest". The prefix "ben" both means "good" -- as in beneficial -- and refers to Ben Franklin's admonition during the Revolutionary War that "Either we all hang together or we all hang, separately."

Once we set out to do what best benefits us, we look around and see that we come out way better when we are members in good standing of a social group.
prof
Posts: 1076
Joined: Wed Jul 11, 2012 1:57 am

Re: Something to think about

Post by prof »

wisdomlover wrote: Fri Mar 02, 2018 10:16 pm Daniel Dennett proposed the term "benselfishness" for what is being called here "enlightened self-interest".
Yes, wisdomlover, thank you.

It is hard to be original. There are, under the Sun, no new ideas.

These days, I drop the word "enlightened" before "self-interest." And I take it as a given that most everyone is self-serving.

We don't have to be selfish or indifferent. There is another alternative! It is (around these parts) called being Ethical. For the person-in-the-street I designate it: having Moral Sense.

Many would like to have commonsense. Now, I hope they would also like to have moral-sense.

What it amounts to is realizing that every individual is of uncountably-high value - and is to be treated accordingly.
....although some have brain damage (and are among the handicapped) and this has made them into criminals, or madmen. And some are ignorant, or gullible, or naive, and this has made them selfish.
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