what it means to be a good person

type pov

content ethics authenticity

created 2021/02/21 modified 2025/11/10

An argument against pure utilitarianism (and, I suppose, effective altruism), from the NYT's "Ethicist" column:
- Ethics permits you to give special weight to yourself and others you have connections with. BUT giving particular sight to you and yours doesn't mean you can ignore the moral demands of others, especially when it comes to their rights.

On kindness, and how to deal with moral perfectionism
Principles I'd like to live a little more by (Err in the direction of kindness, and all.)
"Am I happy? Am I generous? Am I contributing to the world? The moral struggle we face is finding a way to honestly and accurately answer 'Yes' to all three of these questions at once, over the course of a life that presents us with many obstacles to doing so."
- Thinking about ethical living through literary perspectives, the three points-of-view, corresponding to the three classes of "good" relating to yourself, to others, and to the world

Why aiming for individual purity gets it wrong: "We're historical beings and the world is a product of history... How do we not be guilty about that but instead recognize that we can take responsibility for that history?"
How to move past purity politics? Self-forgiveness, and acknowledging the interdependence & complexity of our world.

So many relatable messages, on the internal manager that makes resting a moral failure.

(Podcast listened to in 2020)
Being a “morally good” person is terrifyingly simple, and also extremely difficult— depends on context you’re considering: are you doing good relative to your peers? What about relative to the absolute most good you could do?
The idea that expanding our circle of partiality— family, friends, even humans above other living beings that we treat preferentially— is a part of this
The idea that donating half your income may actually make you happier than if you spent it on yourself & loved ones: would give your life a clear meaning/purpose, while buying consumer products only induces short term happiness
How do non-useful things fit into life? — even reading novels vs nonfiction, etc.? Can consider pleasure it provides you, but ultimately, the former have less value; don’t improve the well-being of sentient creatures.
Power of social reasoning -> actually more effective to be public about giving, because it changes norms and can convince others to (vs conventional Jewish, Christian values of anonymity)