PHI 2397 Lecture Notes - Lecture 8: Gossip, Richard Dawkins, Reciprocal Altruism
31 Oct 2016
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Lotr 1st movie video: bilbo disappearing with the ring. Gandalf, he left the ring on the floor and departed. More of arnold question: ask yourself who you want to be. Should i be selfish in order to be successful? some people can do that. Classic argument for selfishness: plato through the republic. Myth of gyges (old folk tale): if everyone could make themselves invisible, morality would not exist. The only reason why we behave good is because we fear punishment; we don"t want to get caught. Only cowardly and ignorant people choose to be good. Evil: duplicitous (you want people think you are good but you aren"t actually good. Socrates" opinion through the republic: we are not naturally selfish. We do not just do good things because we fear punishment. Empathy: has to do with whole idea of success. It is not just about being powerful or money.
