This week we're asking the question: Why Be Moral? But what kind of question is that? Morality is a good thing. Immorality is a bad thing. A person should always do good things and never do bad things. Doesn't everybody agree?
Well, judging by people's behavior, not necessarily. But we also have to be careful not confuse 'ought' and 'is'. People do behave immorally. But they shouldn't. Everybody knows that - at least in their heart of hearts.
That implies that immoral behavior is irrational or insincere or hypocritical or something. Couldn't there be situations in which a person fully weighs the pros and cons, and sincerely and rationally decides that the best thing for him to do, all things considered, is precisely what morality forbids? In other words, what do we make of situations in which morality tells you to do one thing, and self-interest tells you to do something different?
Many people are psychologically inclined to elevate their own self-interest above all else - including morality. For people like that, when morality and self-interest come into head-to-head conflict, morality loses out. But rationally speaking, that's not how it should be. Rationally speaking, morality should always trump self-interest.
But imagine there's an open, unguarded bank vault, with lots and lots of cash, staring you in the face. You could really use that money. And ther's an iron-clad guarantee that if you take it, no one will ever know. Where's the rationality in not taking the money?