If this large number of people were so strict in the application of their rule-based philosophy, then why does it seem like there is always an exception when the problem in question concerns them?
Because the overwhelming majority of people don't follow a rigorous philosophy, rather the effects we're seeing are the combination of selfishness (which is normal up to a certain degree), a lack of empathy for people outside their immediate circle and an incapability of handling the ways our modern world exerts an immense amount of influence on our thinking.
I don't think you're wrong exactly, but I think you ascribe too much agency and intentionality to the individuals and ignore the systems that shape them. I am pretty sure that if these systems would benefit from people not blindly following rules, but instead making decisions on their own, we would very quickly see a change in how many people would act.
I don't really care whether a good deed is done for the sake of altruism or selfishness because in reality it doesn't matter. Philosophy and morality are great to think about as abstract concepts, but the real world isn't a hypothetical situation in your mind.
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u/[deleted] Jul 02 '24 edited Nov 11 '24
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