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corporatestateinc t1_j5po0rv wrote

Well have you never felt moralised pride, for an achievement purely personal, that made you feel morally self righteous? Because I'm sure we all have

A lot of moral action is, as they say, like oissing oneself in a dark suit. It feels warm, but no one notices. We might ask why people continue to be moral, if it really is about others, and not oneself.

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simonperry955 OP t1_j5sjevi wrote

I think what you're talking about is promoting long term personal well-being - skillful action. Skillful action feels good.

Good point - if morality is about others, why do it? Where's the benefit for me? Because, like you say, what works for others works for me; and we live in a closely interdependent world, where what is good for you is good for me.

The version of utilitarianism that can be derived under this evolutionary paradigm specifies benefits for the self as well as others.

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simonperry955 OP t1_j64novn wrote

Also there is such a thing as a personal moral identity: my "reputation" with myself: how I feel about myself morally. There is pressure to maintain a good (public) moral identity because it means I'm more likely to be cooperated with by others.

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