Why be good?

[henryp]

The problem of course, is what happens if we lose access to our cheesecake and sex?  When there's one potato and 3 hungry families who haven't eaten in a day.  Then 'being good' goes out the window, and we hack eachother up with axes.

Not according to the experts. 

In the 2014 book, "Social Dilemmas: Understanding Human Cooperation" 

Teaching and research Ph. D. sociologists Paul A.M. Lange, Daniel Balliet, Craig D. Parks, and evolutionary psychologist, Mark van Vugt make a case, that kind of proves you wrong. 

They have advanced degrees, decades of in field research, teaching positions at leading universities. What you got?

An axe and the potato, by the sounds of it.

---

That doesn't seem to be true.  It seems, rather, that our ability to cooperate -especially- in the leanest times is precisely why we have such wonderful access to cheesecake and sex in the here and now.  Do you think that people go apeshit the moment someone eats the last twinkie?  We still manage to be decent while we starve - in case you were wondering...you've expressed an awfully dismal view of your fellow man here, pretty much the same shit as the "if no god, why be good".  "if no food, why be good".

Same answers to both questions, same answers as if there  is a god, or if there is food.

I don't really buy into the idea of 'being good' in general.  I'm skeptical of most things that tell me I shouldn't act in my own best interest because of some vague concept.  Seems like a trick to try and control me for someone elses' benefit.  I think Nationalism, God, and Being Good are in the same boat together. Not that nationalism, God, and 'being good' don't have some ideas that ARE in my best interest, but I'll need those ideas laid out rather than just saying GO USA, ALLAH, and SHARING!  Contrast with "Not Starving to Death" which I'm willing to go allin on.  That's an idea I can get behind 100%.

Of course, if we can work together in the leanest times to get by, by all means, go team us!  But what happens when that's not the case.  I would kill and eat you.  That's just how it is.  Maybe I'm alone in this.   Maybe you'll all graciously let yourself and your families die so that mine may live.  And I'd appreciate that.  But I would be using a different strategery.  I'm guessing all these people stockpiling guns are thinking along the same lines.  

You said this is a dismal view, but I don't think it's necessarily bad.  I wouldn't judge a lion for pulling some kind of cannibalistic bullshit.  It's not malicious, for example.  Just how the world works.  I think we have some better problem solving skills than a lion.  And obviously, a few thousand years of civilization has taken some of the edge off.  But I don't think it's so far gone.  I think it's percolating right under the surface waiting for shit to go down.  

As for where my opinion of people comes from...maybe doorbuster sales at Walmart after Thanksgiving?  People using social injustice as an excuse to grab a free cell phone in Baltimore.  Streaming game of thrones even though one could easily afford to pay for it.  Xenophobia.  Bombing/invading countries for oil.  Befriending terrible countries for oil.  Millionaires stealing even more millions from people who don't have much.  Plenty of murder and rape going around.  Gang violence.  Etc...  And this is in a pretty nice country in a time of Cheesecake and sex.  

If we go back a few hundo, or look elsewhere, we have fun things like mass slavery, genocide, absurd poverty, preventable starvation, huge wars, and on and on.  Look at good ole nazi germany.  "Hey, gas some jews or die."  - "Welp, guess I'm gassing some jews!"

The key component to much of human history being one person trampling on another person to get something they want.  Convert want to need, and all bets are off is my guess.   Although, smart people wrote a book that says something else, I've been told.