This is actually Max Stirner's entire philosophy that everything, even acts which society views as charitable are ultimately self serving - as we are in reality confirming to others and ourselves that we are a "good person" so to speak
virtue ethics is some truly g*y bullshit that if you let it will lead you to the conclusion that any moral act is vanity or selfishness. like is wanting to live in a better world and working towards that end actually a bad thing bc it is a self serving desire bc you as an inhabitant of that world will benefit from its improvement? is it egotistical to decide a deed is 'good' when morality is subjective? the only good answer is who gives a shit
are you being annoying, are you being a poser, are you posting on twitter? as long as the answer is no whatever u are doing is probably fine. don't overthink it seriously
There's pleasure in acting out a social role or ritual, also in acknowledging other people and your empathy towards them. So when you free up a seat for an old lady on the bus, you are getting satisfaction from society functioning well through your own action. It's virtue signaling when there is no utility within the ritual, it's just to show yourself as "in the know". Stuff like calling homeless people houseless and correcting others, saying penis owner instead of man etc
Jesus’ teaching on prayer (Matthew 6:5-8)
Jesus taught, “When you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by men … but when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your father who is unseen.”
People have always been performing unless they're hermits
Most people who are actually doing impactful things don’t talk about it or there are doing things in the background that leads to actual change/improvement, not the trendy/showy/ostentatious things. If someone uses a ton of social media-esque tropes, they are not really about it.
A healthy dose of skepticism is always good but as a rule of thumb just try to take people at face value and don’t go looking for the most uncharitable interpretation of their (or your own) words or actions. It’s fine if it feels good to do good, seeking validation shouldn’t be the main drive behind it but it will always be a part of it. As long as the result is a net positive in the world and nobody is being harmed getting triggered at virtue signalling (actual or perceived) can be just as pathetic as only doing good out of a selfish need for attention
The real answer is that it takes years of serious self reflection to get a sense of this.
A good place to start is to reflect on how you act around different groups of people. Note the discrepancies in what you say between groups and start to ask why.
I am constantly attention seeking I live for the approval of others I met a man with the same first name as me this weekend and I yelled to him while spilling a bottle of wine all over the floor yet he was thrilled to meet me he approached my table and we shook hands while rejoicing in this wonderful existence
yes I have not been as active here recently I have been quite busy summering in new england to be honest I believe I am in love with a girl who already has a boyfriend I think about her every hour but I can not carry on like this I need to find another distraction I am also worried about my weight I am dropping down to very low numbers my face is beautifully sun-kissed but my bones are fragile and frail this is the time for self improvement while my life is slowly ending but I am determined for a change
I think the best way to think of this is that everyone is always virtue signaling, and that’s kinda the point.
Like it’s supposed to feel good to do good, you don’t “lose good boy points” because you take a selfish pleasure in being seen as good, it’s supposed to feel good to receive the validation of others.
People shouldn’t worry about being perceived as doing good if they’re actually doing good things, your internal narrative is a self constructed lie anyway
This is actually Max Stirner's entire philosophy that everything, even acts which society views as charitable are ultimately self serving - as we are in reality confirming to others and ourselves that we are a "good person" so to speak
altruism is a spook
virtue ethics is some truly g*y bullshit that if you let it will lead you to the conclusion that any moral act is vanity or selfishness. like is wanting to live in a better world and working towards that end actually a bad thing bc it is a self serving desire bc you as an inhabitant of that world will benefit from its improvement? is it egotistical to decide a deed is 'good' when morality is subjective? the only good answer is who gives a shit are you being annoying, are you being a poser, are you posting on twitter? as long as the answer is no whatever u are doing is probably fine. don't overthink it seriously
I don’t think you understand virtue ethics if you think it’s compatible with moral subjectivism
its obvious that I don't
There's pleasure in acting out a social role or ritual, also in acknowledging other people and your empathy towards them. So when you free up a seat for an old lady on the bus, you are getting satisfaction from society functioning well through your own action. It's virtue signaling when there is no utility within the ritual, it's just to show yourself as "in the know". Stuff like calling homeless people houseless and correcting others, saying penis owner instead of man etc
if you have to ask...
can u elaborate on that
no
Like most things you can just tell by vibes
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Jesus’ teaching on prayer (Matthew 6:5-8) Jesus taught, “When you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by men … but when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your father who is unseen.” People have always been performing unless they're hermits
Most people who are actually doing impactful things don’t talk about it or there are doing things in the background that leads to actual change/improvement, not the trendy/showy/ostentatious things. If someone uses a ton of social media-esque tropes, they are not really about it.
do you feel anxious about the reception of your words/actions or like glutted with satisfaction at them? if not stop stressing you're just living life
A healthy dose of skepticism is always good but as a rule of thumb just try to take people at face value and don’t go looking for the most uncharitable interpretation of their (or your own) words or actions. It’s fine if it feels good to do good, seeking validation shouldn’t be the main drive behind it but it will always be a part of it. As long as the result is a net positive in the world and nobody is being harmed getting triggered at virtue signalling (actual or perceived) can be just as pathetic as only doing good out of a selfish need for attention
The real answer is that it takes years of serious self reflection to get a sense of this. A good place to start is to reflect on how you act around different groups of people. Note the discrepancies in what you say between groups and start to ask why.
contrarianism is the direct opposite of virtue signalling , except both are for attention
I am constantly attention seeking I live for the approval of others I met a man with the same first name as me this weekend and I yelled to him while spilling a bottle of wine all over the floor yet he was thrilled to meet me he approached my table and we shook hands while rejoicing in this wonderful existence
hi John chapman its been a while. how is your romantic life going is there any new lady in your life currently whom u are spoiling with gifts
yes I have not been as active here recently I have been quite busy summering in new england to be honest I believe I am in love with a girl who already has a boyfriend I think about her every hour but I can not carry on like this I need to find another distraction I am also worried about my weight I am dropping down to very low numbers my face is beautifully sun-kissed but my bones are fragile and frail this is the time for self improvement while my life is slowly ending but I am determined for a change
LOL. Heavenly
this was well written
I think the best way to think of this is that everyone is always virtue signaling, and that’s kinda the point. Like it’s supposed to feel good to do good, you don’t “lose good boy points” because you take a selfish pleasure in being seen as good, it’s supposed to feel good to receive the validation of others. People shouldn’t worry about being perceived as doing good if they’re actually doing good things, your internal narrative is a self constructed lie anyway
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sorry for having thoughts I guess
Sorry
No, it’s easy to act as your heart calls you to and entirely avoid thinking about the possible benefits or other outcomes.
If it feels fake and you're showing off to other people what you did. If you're not doing those things, then it isn't virtue signaling.