Replying to Avatar Jeff Swann

If people have been decent to me, why would I want to be anything but decent to them? If people haven't been decent to me why would I want to emulate that? Decency is basically the only thing compatible with rational self interest.

What do I get out of ruining life for others? Is theft & destruction a fulfilling sort of pursuit? Is killing someone or in some way scarring a person for life not going to haunt me?

I find it a bit concerning when people don't seem to understand that being a good person & doing what is right (even if it's hard) is the path to building self respect & any sort of meaningful sense of satisfaction in life.
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NurseWang 2y ago

But if you follow your logic, you're not being decent for decency's sake, your being decent because you see that that is a more beneficial way to live. That's it's practically self-serving to be decent. In other words, you are decent for your own sake.

And you are right, that is the best way to live.

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Jeff Swann 2y ago

Well, yeah. I don't think there's any such thing as altruism & I think "self sacrifice" is basically always evil. I don't think it's actually accurate to call what Jesus did "self sacrifice." I think Jesus was tortured & killed because he helped people on the wrong day & he refused to accept that as wrong. He refused to give up reality & renounce who he was. It was a refusal to deny the truth & to sacrfice himself & reality to authority, and that is the greatest gift anyone can give people who are being ruled over by tyrants.