On ethics

A Philosophical Defense of Misanthropy

“…It is claimed, for example, that anthropocentrism in our worldviews is a major cause of our environmental crises. 3 The notion behind such claims is that certain ideas, once incorporated into a society's structure of beliefs and values, drive the behavior of that society in particular directions. To take a simplified example, on this approach one might claim that our domination of nonhuman species is driven by our belief that we have a God-given right, perhaps even an obligation, to engage in such domination.…”

“…Then you will see that they balance one another; you will become aware of the existence of an eternal justice, that the world itself is its own universal Last Judgement, and you will begin to understand why everything that lives must atone for its existence, first by living and then by dying. 10 We might object to this by noting that, although there is much suffering in the world, it seems not to be evenly distributed across persons and (more importantly) it seems that such suffering often fails to correspond to desert. An obvious example is that of children suffering due to the unjust activities of others (e.g., ethnic cleansing).…”

“…2 Unfortunately, the behavior of the Anglican parsons is not anomalous among human beings, for it springs from "the inner and inborn nature of man, in which the first and foremost quality is a colossal egoism ready and eager to overstep the bounds of justice." 3 As we shall see, I am less sure that the source of humanity's injustice and other misdeeds lies in its nature but this provides little comfort.…”

“…He continues: "One man puts on the mask of justice better to attack his fellows; another, with the same object in view, chooses that of public good and patriotism; a third that of religion and purity of faith." 4 Is this a reasonable view? He is surely correct that both great and minor ills have been (and continue to be) brought about under the banners of justice, patriotism, and religion.…”

“…It is not controversial to note that we routinely observe vices in ourselves and others: envy, hatred, Schadenfreude ("the worst trait in human nature"), greed, unfairness, and the like. 6 These vices are frequently at play in workplaces and other social settings. Often, they do not lead to great harm, but even when they cause no harm whatsoever, the presence of such vices speaks ill of us.…”