this post was submitted on 25 Jun 2023
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Technically it's not wrong. The only difference is the external punishment isn't handed out by some eternal torture but by other people.
Technically it's wrong.
You're not good because you're afraid of the consequences of being bad. You're good because you have empathy and know that kindness is overall better for everyone (you included) than nastiness or immorality.
That's not why most people are good though. I'm not talking about myself I'm simply stating the reality that most people are only good because of societal standards and expectations.
Think of the old west in America. Lawless. People dueling to the death over petty insults. Or the medieval period in Europe. Or the feudal age of eastern countries. They all had rampant crime and violence due to a lack of facing real consequence.
If you remove social consequence humans become the animals they have always been.
Edit: Also your last point proves mine. It's only easier because otherwise you'll be ostracized or worse.
We know that in the anthropological record examples exist of people being cared for exist that should not have otherwise survived. So it's fair to say that at least some of us do have the desire to care for others within us.
Community support efforts exist. There are always people who will do for others without the expectation of reward. I've been the beneficiary of it and the giver of it when I can.
We also have plenty of contrary examples as well. It's easy to look at, say, the growing income inequality as an easy example of at best indifference to the suffering of others and news feeds focus on the harm we as humans do to each other.
You can make an argument for both things being true.
We would not have survived as a species if we did not learn to cooperate and there can be those who will put themselves above all others at the expense of everyone else.