"If people are good only because they fear punishment, and hope for reward, then we are a sorry lot indeed?"

Question

Your input please, and dont spam, or your admitting that you only have a spinal chord..(jokes)

In my opinion, (this is a quote from Einstien just incase your wondering), but what I think it means is that we all do good things for the wrong reasons, and we're all greedy as a result for hoping for a reward, thus rendering us a sorry lot indeed.

Dont take my opinion on board though! What is your voice? I'm loving these answers already :)

Answer 1

This is one of the quotes in my hand-scribbled collection, but I tend to believe old Al was being ironic.

He was saying, *if* this were true, it would be sad. He was in fact making the point that it was *not* true.

Human behavior can’t be fully explained by an adherence to rewards and punishment. There is another reason that people are good--something internal. I believe we have a personal sense of morality. At the very least, we have (as pointed out by midnite rainbow) psychological rewards and punishments. We either feel good or feel guilty about our actions.

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Answer 2

I agree, if we behave in a way that does not bring us punishment in whatever form that may take, then we are operating on a very infantile level. This means that we behave differently from the way we actually think. When we behave ethically because we have an internalized value system, then we are coming from a more mature, intellectual level. This is a common misconception of some religious people. They can't conceive of how a person can be an atheist and also behave ethically. They either don't know that there are other ethical writing than the bible or simply don't understand that one can live life based on principles and not just follow whatever ego desire crops up next.

Answer 3

From experience, I can speak for a country that had ,once high moral values but , now, is badly corrupt.Here I find that the same people who were good , were seeing the disparity between the rich and them and started to earn money in a corrupt way. They feared punishment initially but when they found that corruption was everywhere they boldly earned money .

So , we have crossed a stage where people are NOT even when they fear punishement . They know the reward for being good is pittance compared to the earning improperly.

Truly , we are a sorry lot in the world today. No one knows how to contain this spreading eveil.

Answer 4

This is something I've believed for a long time. I'm an atheist, and do not believe that the afterlife is anything more than a human invention meant to keep primitive peoples in line.

Punishment and reward may be suitable for children or maladjusted adults, but mature, responsible people should be good merely for the sake of being good, without need of the bribe of heaven or threat of hell. (Or a better or worse next life, if reincarnation's your thing.)

Alas, humanity is still quite the immature race, and too many of us still need the "incentives" of mythology to be good. Organized religion sure isn't helping out, either; many churches teach that you NEED religion to have morality, and that is the only valid source of morality. All us atheists and other heathens, it would seem, are nothing more than amoral libertines who do whatever we please....

Answer 5

Einstein and I would disagree on others things as well as this. The reward for 'good' works is not material or awards but the satisfaction of such behavior. It comes from the well balanced 'self'. I have no fear since I replaced it with faith. I strive not to 'worship' any better than self which gives me abundances that would spoil if I did not share them. My greatest goal is not to waste myself.

Answer 6

I am good and bad for many different reasons. Just the human experience!

Answer 7

As soon as man began considering himself the source of the highest meaning in the world and the measure of everything, the world began to lose its human dimension, and man began to lose control of it.

so I would say that I agree with you

Answer 8

to true lol, its because everyones all scared of what the consequences of standing up for them selves will be.