If there were no consequences or accountability

KiaKaha · 05-31-2012

Do you think people would behave themselves?
I don't think they would. I think a lot of people would indulge their darkest fantasies if they could get away with it. You can see it all the time, particularly on the internet - where people behave in such a way that they wouldnt do so in real life because there is less repercussion. The only reason why people dont is because they prohibited by social norms, a desire for acceptance and belonging (to fit in - no one likes being a social pariah)

....and of course the law.

Which brings me to the question of morality. Where does it come from? What makes people realize the difference between right and wrong? Why do hold our tounge when really what we truly want to do is tell people what we really think. Do people let things go for the sake of civility to keep the peace? Would it still be the same if the norm was to brutally honest...? Do people keep things on the inside - for fear of judgement from others?

I know I do.

Thoughts?

MikeyC · 05-31-2012

I don't think people would. I probably even wouldn't.

Nathália · 05-31-2012

I have so much anxiety, I don't think so. Risky behaviors isn't worth risking my life over. People would get to do what they want, but life is not a video game. Seriously, I would be up a tree somewhere if that happened. I do think there are some limits that I put on myself because I'm shy and care about reputation and I think many people do.

KiaKaha · 05-31-2012

Yeah. I would probably behave "questionably" if I knew I wasnt going to get in trouble (and I have before - so if there werent any consequences I no doubt probably would, especially if society was that way to begin with) - I think reputation is an interesting subject - because everybody cares about how they come across to others, and how much credibility they have.

Once ones reputation is ruined, its very very hard to reclaim - kind of related to trust I suppose. Which I also wonder about... why is it so hard to regain trust once its lost?

But I think what I am trying to get at is - how do we know the difference between whats right and whats wrong? How do we know what kind of behaviour is acceptable and what isnt?

Srijita52 · 05-31-2012

^well I'm not sure if I'll make sense here, I won't act in a way that doesn't seem 'right' to me. I might risk loosing reputation but I can't risk loosing my own respect. Then again I don't have a wonderful reputation among people around me in the first place, so I doubt if I've anything to loose anyway.

1BlackSheep · 05-31-2012

I'm certainly no saint, but I feel like if I do something wrong it will come back to bite me in the butt and give me future bad karma, so this kind of keeps me in check!

MsBuzzkillington · 05-31-2012

We learn what is right and wrong. What is considered right and wrong is relative to the culture you are in.

If nothing mattered, then there would be no judgement... no one would have reputation to keep. There would be no credibility. There would be no lack of trust, no breaking of trust. There would be nothing to respect or disrespect yourself over. I mean how far into the "no consequences" area are you thinking?

Ashiene · 05-31-2012

People are naturally wild, untamed animals like feral cats you see in the forest. The only thing really that keeps us in check is the law. Much of morality itself is a sense of justice ingrained in us by society and law. All of us have the natural tendency to not create violence, but that is only when one knows that being communal is beneficial to one's survival. If there is anarchy and no more law or the justice system to keep any of us in check, people will return to their basest, primal selves and think only of the need to self-preserve. They may work together with others in very tiny groups that are linked together more because they share common goals than because they truly care about each other. We have seen this in many historical records where the only thing that keeps a population in check is by the creation of a law and justice system as well as religion which acts another factor of population control.

bcsr · 05-31-2012

I'd behave in the same way as I do now. I've said it before, I think humans have a moral obligation to each other that transcends religion and law. You should be a good person because it's the right thing to do, not for fear of punishment. I don't want to sound too cliche' but morality is simple, do to others as you'd have them do to you. Some things are universal.

I truly despise people who seek to better themselves at the expense of others. I've always been this way, and it's one of the primary drives I have to be a peace officer.

Pyrophosphate · 05-31-2012

People naturally behave in a way that is conducive to a complex society. Otherwise, we wouldn't have complex society to begin with. What stops people from raping and pillaging the neighboring villages isn't them stopping to remember that they'll go to jail if they do, it's generally that they just don't want to do it.