#221: Feel, don’t think

Are you a moral hypocrite? Relax, you’re not alone. Most of us are.

We tend to condemn behavior in others that we judge acceptable, even virtuous, if we engage in it.

Why do we do so? Because we always look for the easy way. We want the social benefits of being seen as nice, seen to be virtuous, without having to work hard at actually behaving that way.

You’re not all bad, though. Consider the state of much of the world. Is it not surprising that we humans have survived as social animals for so long?

Here’s one major reason - our sensitivity to unfairness. As many social experiments have shown, we humans are pretty good at spotting and punishing antisocial behavior.

This means that your heart or your gut is already programmed to feel when you are behaving like a moral hypocrite.

So, when in doubt about how to behave, think with your gut and not with your mind.


I’m JamesMcIntosh@nonsenseatwork.com

Copyright: 2008 James Henry McIntosh

James can be heard on Public Radio: Monday - 7:19am and Saturday - 8:19am
88.9 FM WCVE, Richmond VA | 89.1 FM WCNV, Heathsville VA | 90.1 FM WMVE, Chase City VA