Do Bad People Think Theyre Good? By Michael Josephson, CHARACTER COUNTS (873:5) When she was six, my daughter Carissa asked, Do dumb people think theyre smart? Answering her own question, she added, They probably do because theyre dumb. This made me think: Do bad people think theyre good? I wouldnt be surprised if most do. In fact, I think all of us are ethical in our own eyes. The human tendency to rationalize, to justify our conduct in our own minds, provides a powerful anesthetic to our conscience. Think of all the athletes, politicians, religious leaders, and business executives whove been caught in wrongdoing and who feel more like victims than villains. Self-interest has a powerful tendency to disable our objectivity and befuddle our commitment to live up to moral principles. The higher the stakes, the more likely it is that well persuade ourselves that what we want to do, or what weve already done, is justified. When our financial or physical security is at stake, even the best of us are vulnerable to reason-crippling self-delusion that allows us to defend our positions with self-righteous ferocity – as if the mere intensity of our convictions makes them more valid. One way to fortify our integrity is to be on the lookout for our tendency to rationalize and to remember that we dont have a moral right to get what we want. Necessity isnt a fact; its an interpretation. Living an ethical life isnt easy. It requires us to do the right thing even when it costs more than we want to pay. Perhaps the best antidote to rationalization sickness is to rigorously and faithfully follow the Golden Rule: Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.
Posted on: Wed, 17 Sep 2014 20:08:04 +0000
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