Why Be Ethical at All?

“Why should I bother being ethical if it doesn’t benefit me directly?”

If you don’t believe that we have a moral obligation to minimise harm or act ethically, then you won’t be able to help me eat meat again 😔. I am looking for a logical argument that justifies eating meat and I don’t really want to live my life unethically.

If you’re interested in seeing if there are any benefits for you to be more ethical, there is strong logic behind trying to act ethically and leaving the world a better place. It is a system that ultimately benefits everyone, including yourself.

The ROI of Ethics

There are definitive, data-driven reasons to operate ethically. Especially at scale and over long periods of time, ethics is simply the most rational framework for a functioning society:

• The Evolution Of Cooperation: In computer simulations of the Iterated Prisoner’s Dilemma, the best-performing strategies were “nice” (those that default to cooperation rather than betrayal). Prosocial strategies are mathematically proven to yield superior outcomes in social networks.
• Higher Social Capital: People tend to like, support, and trust those who act ethically. Maintaining strong, high-trust networks provides massive long-term advantages for the individual.
• Lower Stress: Harmful behaviour causes cognitive dissonance and triggers internal stress responses. Conversely, helping others actively buffers the body against stress and lowers cortisol (APA).

Lead by Example

I’m also a big believer in leading by example and prefigurative politics. Even if no one else is following the rules, or being considerate to others, I think actions speak louder than words. If I have really thought about something, been critical about it, asked others for their perspectives (the reason for this site!), and decided what is the ethical course of action, I want to be someone that at least tries to follow through with it to the best of my ability.

Anywhoosles

I’m not perfect by any means but I think it’s worth striving to be ethical and leave the world a better place than I found it.