The problem with heteronomous ethics (based on lists of moral mandates, similar to the Decalogue) is that it is especially inadequate for promoting altruism. Altruism is, by its very nature, a product of compassionate motivation (not mere prosociality) and should therefore be encompassed within the cultivation of a lifestyle—virtue ethics.
Antiquity shows us that the basis for the development of compassionate behaviors lies in the internalization of emotional concepts that evoke moral autonomy, such as the Christian concepts of “charity,” “faith,” “Grace,” and “Holy Spirit.” Eastern cultures use other similar symbolic resources.
You’re right that rule based ethics can’t generate real altruism, and that virtue ethics does better by rooting it in compassion and moral character. Without honesty and humility as lived virtues, altruism slides into manipulation or shallow compliance. A movement that sacrifices integrity for impact risks hollowing itself out from within.
Still, the dilemmas I raised pandemic messaging, climate framing, AI timelines show that groups need more than individual virtue. They also need decision rules for crises, where outcomes and constraints both matter. The balance, I think, is cultivating virtue as the culture, using deontological side-limits to guard against drift, and applying consequentialist reasoning to act effectively under pressure. That mix is messy, but it keeps us from either rigid legalism or expedient deceit.
The problem with heteronomous ethics (based on lists of moral mandates, similar to the Decalogue) is that it is especially inadequate for promoting altruism. Altruism is, by its very nature, a product of compassionate motivation (not mere prosociality) and should therefore be encompassed within the cultivation of a lifestyle—virtue ethics.
Antiquity shows us that the basis for the development of compassionate behaviors lies in the internalization of emotional concepts that evoke moral autonomy, such as the Christian concepts of “charity,” “faith,” “Grace,” and “Holy Spirit.” Eastern cultures use other similar symbolic resources.
You’re right that rule based ethics can’t generate real altruism, and that virtue ethics does better by rooting it in compassion and moral character. Without honesty and humility as lived virtues, altruism slides into manipulation or shallow compliance. A movement that sacrifices integrity for impact risks hollowing itself out from within.
Still, the dilemmas I raised pandemic messaging, climate framing, AI timelines show that groups need more than individual virtue. They also need decision rules for crises, where outcomes and constraints both matter. The balance, I think, is cultivating virtue as the culture, using deontological side-limits to guard against drift, and applying consequentialist reasoning to act effectively under pressure. That mix is messy, but it keeps us from either rigid legalism or expedient deceit.