Poll: Why do YOU do what is right?

[Esotera]

Most of the time I help someone out it will be solely for my own benefit. I.e., helping someone lift something heavy around, to stay fit. Or to stave off boredom. Those rare times that I am being entirely altruistic, well...I have no good reason to help, but do it anyway. No idea why.

I'm going to punch everyone who said altruism right in the mouth. That's BULLSHIT; altruism is impossible. Even if you aren't doing if for the sake of feeling good about yourself, you still do. No one does something good/nice and walks again feeling like shit.

Altruism ain't impossible, in fact it makes perfect evolutionary sense, because the trait protects the genes of your relatives.

 

[Sevre]

Someone's been reading Hobbes.

I do it because it's human instinct. If everyone was a dick we wouldn't have gotten so far.

 

[Tonythion]

I do it because I was taught to to nice things and to never do anything that would hurt other people or things

UNLESS THEY HURT ME FIRST.

Well I wasn't even taught, my mom would hold doors open for people and if people open doors for her she would say thank you.

Or if there was a homeless person asking for money she would give it to them or ask them if they wanted her to buy them food if she had no cash on her. So I just followed her example.

But if people treat us like shit we will fight back. One time I told her about the bullies that were bothering me in middle school and she said "Don't be afraid, I don't care if your teachers say its bad, or if you get expelled, fight. Fight them, don't take their shit."

I do the right thing because it is in my nature

 

[Tree709]

Why is there no option of luring others into a false sense of security?

 

[aei_haruko]

I was thinking about this today. What reward do you expect for your acts of kindness or sacrifice? I used to think I was purely altruistic, but today I was thinking it migth be more an ego thing. Not as bad as it sounds, I just like the idea that I am the kind of person who doesn't do bad things, who knows what is right and does it. It gives me a sense of certainty and identity (rare enough commodities). Outside of that I expect no reward. Not sure if that makes me selfish or not, but 'tis the truth.

How about you escapists? Why do you do what's right? spiritual reward? a belief that doing good tends to pay itself back? Or are you a true Altruist?

I'm no altruist, I view if i am nice, people will like me, and if people like me, then maybe I can make the world a beter place, at least, thats what I do, I know that this doesn't make me altruist, but I don't care

 

[Spineyguy]

Cannot possibly answer using any of the options, quite simply I just don't do what is right.

Don't help people, because the chances are they'll never forgive you for it.

 

[Janktrio]

I picked the shrug option because I don't really know why I do nice things. I just sort of do. I guess because it just feels like the right thing to do and seeing other people sad makes me unhappy so I try to help other people. I really don't know which option that would fall under.

 

[MagicMouse]

What I do is right because I do it.

Morality is relative.

 

[Generic_Username]

If no one knows about it then I don't feel like I have to do the right thing. What you don't know won't hurt you.

 

[Jakub324]

I suck at being a prick, and I believe if everyone was one, we would live in anarchy, which would suck donkeys.

 

[klasbo]

This list is missing the real explanation:

Psychological evolution - Humans are social creatures and have evolved to work best as a collective. Asking "why do you do good" is like asking "why do you like sex" - they're both pre-programmed, but some people aren't neurologically inclined to the "standard".

"Spiritual reward" is just an artificial boundary to make people conform to doing what is "right" as defined by a small subset of people, without there being any evolutionary or rational explanation for the behaviour.

This discussion only gets interesting when you start talking about either what "right" is, or neurology.

 

[Baldry]

Because it's the right thing to do, to help others...I went with meh whatever but after reading about Altruism that sorta sounds like me.

 

[SillyBear]

Because it's human instinct and I am a human. I have empathy and compassion and if I am able to help someone out I get a tremendously good feeling from doing so.

 

[Kizi]

No reason, really. The world isn't a perfect place but I sure as hell try to make it at least a little better by not being an arse.

 

[Madara XIII]

You uhhh...expect me to nail it down to one, do ya? Good luck.

I do it because in all honestly, despite my sick nature I do feel bad when things go wrong....GOD DAMN This Jiminy Cricket Complex!!!

 

[SoranMBane]

Because it comes naturally. I feel good about myself when I do nice things, and I feel bad about myself when I do bad things. Also, it's a matter of preserving my own personal rights. If I disregard the rights of others and act like an evil, inconsiderate dick, there's no reason for others to respect my rights and I'd lose all the benefits that come with living in a civilized society. Society and individuals can only prosper through a mutual exchange of respect, courtesy, and kindness, so I regulate my behavior accordingly.

 

[Scarim Coral]

I guess it pretty much my morality and having standard about myself since I know I what I doing is good or bad in the view of others (which in turn identify who I really am).

 

[Blind Sight]

I'm not an altruist, I'm an egoist. I live for myself. However, since I do have people in my life that I care about I will act to benefit their lives in order to make them happy, because it makes me happy. I never wish to help strangers because they play no role in my life and offer up no real benefit in helping them. Basically, when I help people it's for the purely selfish reason that they are a part of my life and I wish to maintain that. However, I still hold my happiness as more important to me (that does not mean I would deliberately attempt to undermine other people though). As House put it, 'I don't sacrifice self'.

 

[Life_Is_A_Mess]

A reward, and because I feel bad if I don't.
Captcha: (Secret analzen . Analzen... ._.

 

[JokerCrowe]

I do good things for several reasons. The first being that I think that there isn't enough good in this world, so I try to bring in some more. The Second being that I'm pretty much physically incapable of not being good. and the third being that I will make more friends, and people will be nicer to me if I'm nicer to them.
I also believe in a sort of balance, (Karma if you will) and that if you do good things, good things will happen. But the first reason is the main reason.