Topics Ethics

Question I don't believe in any sort of a god, or supreme being, or flying spaghetti monster, and as a consequence I don't have any expectations or fear about what happens after I die. Up till now I've always behaved ethically--in a socially responsible way, more or less--it's been convenient. However, it's more or less a habit, layered on early canalisation of moral training by religious parents. Can you give me a reason for continuing to behave in an ethical fashion? Is there a compelling philosophical reason for being 'good'--assuming I'm not afraid of punishment, or don't expect to get caught?

Accepted:
November 5, 2005

Comments

See question 27 for some relevant remarks.

This is a question that has bugged philosophers since at least Plato. Suppose you have a clever, rational jerk, that is, a person who just doesn't want to do the right thing. Is there any argument we can give him that would force him to be moral if he remains rational? I have not seen such an argument, so I'm inclined to suppose that moral motivation depends on the existence of some desire to be decent. But perhaps one could argue that a person without a shred of moral motivation or sympathy for others would be so different from you or me that we would have trouble seeing such a person as a rational agent rather than as a monster.