Why be good?

[henryp]

I agree.  This is why I'm not worried about being good.  The impetus for everyone to behave is your guys' thing.  I'm interested in behaving in my own self-interest.  Which can overlap with 'being good', but is a very different motivation.

Being what society calls "good" is almost always in your own best interest. When is the last time you axe murdered some asshole who you felt was overly aggressive with your child? When is the last time you raped someone to satisfy an urge? When is the last time you robbed someone because you couldn't afford your favorite fancy drink? I know, I know but it's so cool to be extreme and hardcore. Being "good" is just too mainstream. I get it, you're going against the grain. Sticking it to the man. Don't let anyone try to control you by telling you you're good. But until you pummel some little old lady for the last box of cocoa puffs or kill your coworker to make sure you get the promotion, I'm not buying it. 

Bummer that you're getting the vibe I'm trying to come across as some sort of hip bad boy Donnie Wahlberg type.  One of my bigger motivating factors is cowardice.  And I'm driven by the always thrilling 'practicality.'  I don't think NKOTB would be accepting me for my 'too cool for school' attitude.

You are very correct in that what society calls 'good' is almost always in my own best interest.  On top of the sociological/psychological stuff, society also has laws with fines and jail.  There's also the issue of retribution.  I ain't going to jail or having some crazed grandson coming after me because I wanted some cocoa puffs. 

But again, the key here is motivation.  The motivation is not to be good, but to act in my own interest.  It's in my interest to avoid jail and not be attacked.  There's also enough conditioning that it'll take more than cocoa puffs for me to go around axe murdering people.  I think the extreme examples of post-apocalyptic or nazi germany type scenarios just help illustrate the points by looking at extremes, because for me, it'd take a non-insignificant bit for me to start killing folks.

Real world applications:
So lets say I want to watch HBO, but don't want to pay for HBO.  I could watch an illegal stream.  I consider that blatant stealing.  But with no ramifications, I'll just do it.  I use this example because there was a big long thread on here about whether or not this is 'immoral' or not, and people were doing all sorts of crazy rationalizations to try and conclude that it was not 'bad.'  But I'm saying who cares if it's 'considered' bad.  It's good for me.  I'm getting something I want without having to pay for it with no ramifications.  Good or bad doesn't really need to factor in.

And a weird side effect, is that I'm invested in other people being good.  Because I need them to keep giving enough money to the cable companies so they keep producing high quality stuff/don't do anything serious about the illegal streams.   I guess this is an example of Rhythm and team dogood bailing me out.  Thanks!

Given our status of living in the times of Cheesecake Factory and Sex, the examples of choosing self-interest over 'good' are going to be minor like this.   I don't give to charity because I'd rather I have the money.  I don't volunteer my time, because I'd rather play video games than feed the homeless.  I certainly wouldn't join the military.  That one hits just about all my major points of fuck being 'good' and look out for myself.

And again, with Rhythm's point of the rest of the people picking up the slack, it has to be done.  Because if everybody thought like this, we'd have no military or charity, and then we'd have to set up a system where it is mandatory.  So really, I'm happy everyone else is trying to be good, and hope they continue to do so.  It is in my best interest for other people to continue to want to be good, because that allows me to continue to act in my own self-interest.  Which definitely qualifies as life philosophy that is 'not good' I think.  But not in some malicious violent axe murdering spree way, but just a general despicable sort of way.  Like the character in the movie everybody cheers when they die.