I agree with the sentiment that ideally we’d accept that we have unchangeable personal needs and desires that constrain what we can do, so it might not “make sense” to feel guilty about them.
But I think the language “that’s just silly” risks coming across as saying that anyone who has these feelings is being silly and should “just stop”, which of course is easier said than done with feelings! And I’m worried calling feelings silly might make people feel bad about having them (see number 7 in the original post).
That’s just silly. There’s absolutely no reason to feel guilty about any of those decisions / choices if they maximise your utility.
I agree with the sentiment that ideally we’d accept that we have unchangeable personal needs and desires that constrain what we can do, so it might not “make sense” to feel guilty about them.
But I think the language “that’s just silly” risks coming across as saying that anyone who has these feelings is being silly and should “just stop”, which of course is easier said than done with feelings! And I’m worried calling feelings silly might make people feel bad about having them (see number 7 in the original post).
Yes, that’s fair. And it was silly of me to potentially cause someone to feel guilty about feeling guilty.
But I stand by the point that there is no reason to feel guilty about choosing something that masimises one’s own utility.