Is morality self centred?
 

Yeah, I'm making one of those threads.

DMS can fuck the fuck off right now.


But for real, I read a story about some 3 year old kid who deliberately had acid thrown in his face, and his father planned it...in attempt to get back at his mother for leaving him. I watched the video...that little boy screamed "it hurts" multiple times. And I was filled with this anger, this rage that I did not recognise. Normally I read the news and think 'that is terrible' but I am not normally filled with that sort of emotion. Then I realised I am the father of a 2.5 year old....I can hear my little boy screaming those words and it is a fate worse than death to me.

So is morality self centred?

I feel like that’s a pretty intense strawman case for the argument but for sure it is related. A lot of parents manipulate their kids to slight the other parent. Friend of my wife’s kid asked her the other day when she got back from her dads if she could get her a new mom because she’s too fat now. Shit like that I see/hear of a lot.

Also, it is usually pretty low IQ people that manipulate kids so a general sense of maturity/intelligence doesn’t help people contemplate the reactions of their actions long term

Well manipulation of our own kids really wasn't the point of my enquiry.

The point or question was...we clearly feel stronger about tragedies if we can relate to them. So is our sense of morality self centred?

forget morality, I'm self-centered

to a certain extent sure, but all morality is learned. i think certain moralities are more certain to be prevalent because its just part of the human experience though. anyone who isn't mentally fucked sees murder as a fucked act, because we don't want to be murdered ourselves. shit like that. its wrong to steal because you don't want to have things stolen blah blah

as for the kid scenario i can't think of much else that could piss me off more, if anything else. and i have no kid, and don't relate on that level. but view it more from just the, seeing a helpless youth be harmed standpoint. but again im a human, i was once helpless, and while i didn't have acid thrown in my face maybe thats where i relate and view it as such a ridiculously evil attack

Ah I see

Wasn't super sure by the OP, took it as do the moral/immoral choices we personally make related to being self centered

To that yes, in a sense. It's an emotional link. Parenthood is def the biggest turn for that.

Essentailly, everything you do is self centered. Nature designed things that way.

Morality can be self centered but that doesn't mean it is self centered/

Morality can be good; it is good. If you have good morality, you can accomplish a lot and cherish your loved ones. If it's self centered; things like that could happen; and could get you mad. Morality has different possibilities. It is possible that it can be self centered. But when it's good; it's nothing but good. And you could accomplish a lot with it, lol. So yeah..good question..hope this answers it..

Everything is self centred in my opinon. If your child dies you are not sad your child dies because of how unfair that is on the child, despite that becoming the rhetoric you will likely tell yourself. you are distraught you have to deal with that grief of loss and don't know how. You'll feel it's unfair on you! How will YOU cope.

But I know that opinon may not be shared. However I think there is a poem that might relate well with you and the point your making.

Its called Vultures by Chinua Achebe. In short the idea is that humans will find a corner of a room and then turn their back to the room. We only care for our interests. But we do care. A nazi father will still buy sweets for his child on way home even with the smell of burnt flesh hanging to his nose.

Read the poem think you'll like it

Empathy exists

\

If you have a good sense of morality*

Not gonna give my 2 cents cuz none of you care, but you’re all using the word morality wrong.

Without having read anything else in here...

This is me whenever i see kids being fucked with. I cant even watch movie scenes without wanting to fuck someone up if a kid is being mistreated or fucked with. So i feel you.. As for op. Idk. I think what we call moral is someone elses idea of right from wrong thats been carved into the public mind until its not even a queation, for the most part, instances like this... There are 2 types of people imo. The violent type with no conscience. And the kind who doesnt like to see creatures being hurt. I think you just fall into the ladder. Which imo is good. Im the same in most scenarios. Though i can be very vengeful in the short time immediately after wrong doings, if i dont handle those impulsea immediately then they fade rather quickly.

Anyway. Idk if this has anything to do with your question. But there u go

@Witty no. Morality isnt self centered. You're cognizant of whats morally "right", and what's not. If this event 'hit close to home' that just means the event in question is one you can relate to.
You'd know that is was morally "wrong" regardless of having a kid or not. However, as a father, its slightly more relevant.

Ask yourself, had u not been a father, would this be a meh, oh well type of incident?