This should recognise that more reliable motivation comes from norm-following rather than from individual willpower
I think this is right and is more true and important when the positive impacts you might have are distant in time, space or both. If you’re doing something to help your local community then you should be able to see the impact yourself fairly quickly and willpower could well be the best thing to get you out picking litter or whatever. This falls down a bit if your beneficiaries are halfway round the world, in the future, or both.
Yes, it is harder to care for distant or statistical people even if it is normatively the right thing to do. We shouldn’t overestimate how much we can do by will power alone, but changing norms may be effective.
I think this is right and is more true and important when the positive impacts you might have are distant in time, space or both. If you’re doing something to help your local community then you should be able to see the impact yourself fairly quickly and willpower could well be the best thing to get you out picking litter or whatever. This falls down a bit if your beneficiaries are halfway round the world, in the future, or both.
Yes, it is harder to care for distant or statistical people even if it is normatively the right thing to do. We shouldn’t overestimate how much we can do by will power alone, but changing norms may be effective.