Is moral goodness what we say or what we do?
Posted on: January 1, 2010 - 9:15pm
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Is moral goodness what we say or what we do?
For me moral goodness is only about what we do. Talk is cheap and any core belief system that is not projected into actions is a belief system not truly held. What do atheists and theists think about moral goodness? Is moral goodness what we say we believe in or is it how we actually live our lives?
"Experiments are the only means of knowledge at our disposal. The rest is poetry, imagination." Max Planck
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Assuming you're not referring to "what we think," I'd say you might be underestimating the power of speech. A person with a talent for persuasion can be extremely effective at doing good in the word by what s/he says to others, and the way in which they do it. I think this forum in some cases is proof of that.
Otherwise, actions certainly can speak louder than words, but we're in the Age of Communication, and actions can often have unexpectedly destructive consequences if not handled carefully, with decorum and diplomacy.
R
And I agree that it's possible to do great good with words. I'm fine with including talking up moral goodness as constituting an act of moral goodness but at the same time I'm not so fine with talking moral goodness without converting that position into something concrete. When I say this what I mean is that there's nothing morally upright about preaching goodness and cheating on your wife or bashing your kids or whatever. It's my contention that atheists and theists alike are going to agree that moral goodness will translate into acts of goodness.
"Experiments are the only means of knowledge at our disposal. The rest is poetry, imagination." Max Planck
One might be inclined to include the provision "with honesty and full disclusure." In other words, a convincing diatribe has quite a bit less value if it's merely a well-structured argument while not a principle by which one lives, as much as I might put "faith" in logical arguments. Having "put your money where your mouth is," I suppose. Many theists I've encountered can do neither. While I don't agree with everyone here, at least the majority of people seem to stick to their guns.
Interesting article on the internet the other day. Those people with extremely strong beliefs are more likely to compromise those beliefs through their actions. The article did not go into why this might be true.
I thought it tied in nicely with a book I finished recently - Mistakes Were Made but Not by Me. Written by a couple of psychologists, it was about self-justification. We all do it - even me. But the analogy from the book really struck me as true. We stand on the top of a pyramid, going in any direction is easy - just one small step. By the time we get to the bottom, it is many steps to get to the other side of the pyramid. Forming opinions is like that - we take one little step. But eventually, we have taken so many steps in that direction that it is darn difficult to go in a different direction.
When people self justify their way into compromising their stated belief system, they have walked a long way down that path. I think it is easier for them to self-justify because of their strongly held belief - "I am a good and moral person, therefore my choices are good and moral." And so you have people who cheat on their spouse, beat children and dogs, and refuse to take a child to a physician when the child is in obvious medical distress.
So, back to talking or acting moral. I think you can persuade people by talking - good or bad. But I also think it is usually short lived. What makes the lasting impression is our actions.
-- I feel so much better since I stopped trying to believe.
-- I feel so much better since I stopped trying to believe.
"We are entitled to our own opinions. We're not entitled to our own facts"- Al Franken
"If death isn't sweet oblivion, I will be severely disappointed" - Ruth M.
I am old enough to have noticed that there is often a lot of talk with people, but maybe not so much action.
Good intentions galore, oh yes siree, but when push comes to shove people will act selfishly.
For that reason alone, I pay by far closer attention to what people actually do than to what they say.
I don't think this is so because people are inherently evil though. I think they are just a little stupid.
"The idea of God is the sole wrong for which I cannot forgive mankind." (Alphonse Donatien De Sade)
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