James Bond Posted February 3, 2011 Report Share Posted February 3, 2011 what do you think? If it's someone's job to pick up some trash I might drop, say at a bus station, is it worth my while to throw it out in a can? (extrapolations of this principle apply--putting the weights back at the gym, not being wasteful with company products, etc.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DanLane Posted February 3, 2011 Report Share Posted February 3, 2011 (edited) The fact that there's a can implies that you aren't expected to leave everything lying around. Janitors aren't hired to facilitate littering, but to control the liability of having a bunch of garbage laying around in front of customers. Edit: On the other hand, there are people hired to clean up after you in a restaurant, and barging into the kitchen carrying your dirty silverware is frowned upon. It's a matter of context and respecting property. That's why there have to be enormous fines for littering in "public" property: nobody cares except at the most obscure esthetic level about one napkin floating around public land. Edited February 3, 2011 by DanLane Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dante Posted February 3, 2011 Report Share Posted February 3, 2011 It generally is within your interest to be respectful of other people in these ways. The basis of this view of benevolence is the premise that other people are not fundamentally in opposition to your life. We all have a lot to gain from the people around us, and an attitude of general regard for the people around us goes a long way. Additionally, I'd think less of myself if I behaved like a douchebag. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hotu Matua Posted February 3, 2011 Report Share Posted February 3, 2011 (edited) All acts of courtesy and kindness are moral. They should not be confused with acts of self-sacrifice, which are obviously immoral. The rationality of an act of courtesy/kindness lies in the principle that it is in your own self interest to deal with strangers,the first time you encounter them, as if they were friendly traders, until you get evidence of the opposite. If they respond to your courtesy with courtesy, you will continue expressing good will. If they respond with agression, you may retaliate accordingly(through your own acts or through the acts of the State, depending on the context). By putting the trash in the nearest can you are showing appreciation for the efforts and values of janitors, owners, or users of that place, who want to keep it clean. As a result, you are more likely to be treated well and get the best from your relationship with others. Edited February 3, 2011 by Hotu Matua Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
freestyle Posted February 4, 2011 Report Share Posted February 4, 2011 Is there an impulse to litter, and if so, how does that make you feel? Generally, it is self evident that it is not ideal to throw your crap all over the ground. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
James Bond Posted February 4, 2011 Author Report Share Posted February 4, 2011 Is there an impulse to litter, and if so, how does that make you feel? but why should it make me feel bad? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dante Posted February 4, 2011 Report Share Posted February 4, 2011 but why should it make me feel bad? Because it is within your interest to internalize an attitude of general benevolence and good will towards the strangers around you. This will further your life by greatly increasing the possible values gained through interactions with others. Once you have internalized an attitude like this, then needlessly making life harder for others will make you feel bad. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
freestyle Posted February 4, 2011 Report Share Posted February 4, 2011 (edited) but why should it make me feel bad? My question was not an attempt to suggest how you ought to feel. The example you gave in the first post suggested (as I read it) that since someone has a job of cleaning up trash, perhaps it is neutral or positive to contribute to the necessity of that position in the broader labor market. I can reject that argument, but instead I was just wondering if you had a clearly positive reason in mind for why it is good to litter. (My guess was that it may be emotion based and not logic based.) Because it is within your interest to internalize an attitude of general benevolence and good will towards the strangers around you. This will further your life by greatly increasing the possible values gained through interactions with others. Once you have internalized an attitude like this, then needlessly making life harder for others will make you feel bad. Maybe, but tripping on your crap and breaking your neck (or being liable for it happening to someone else) is a pretty good reason too. So are reasons like, ants, smell, aesthetics... Edited February 4, 2011 by freestyle Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
icosahedron Posted February 21, 2011 Report Share Posted February 21, 2011 but why should it make me feel bad? but why don't you throw garbage around your living room? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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