The Vice of Selfishness
The Left shouldn't sharply separate "moral" discourse from "self-interested" discourse, because the two are closely intertwined.
Evan Burger’s response to my essay “Revolutionizing Ethics” was expected. While I trusted that Jacobin readers would appreciate a dismantling of “moral sentimentalism” — the absurdly narrow moralizing by politicians and pundits about deep structural problems with our society — I anticipated resistance to my proposal of incorporating moral appeals into the movement. This second part of my piece was less developed and would not satisfy those critics who see morality as mere class ideology.
However, I was taken aback by Burger’s oddly Randian appeal to the virtue of selfishness as a better tack to pursue. I suspect Burger was trying to be provocative in rejecting my proposal. Whatever his reasons, Burger suggests a course that would cause more problems that he recognizes.
To begin, I would reject the way Burger frames the problem. It is unhelpful sharply to separate “moral” discourse from “self-interested” discourse, because the two are closely intertwined. Justice, for example, is a “moral” norm, but it would be in the narrow self-interest of most Americas for the United States to become a more just society — i.e. a country that distributed income, wealth, and political power more fairly. Moreover, moral norms are so basic to our psychologies, our identities, and our preferences that it is exceedingly difficult, if not impossible, to identify things that are in our “narrow self-interest” over which morality has no influence.
Sorry, but this article is available to active subscribers only. Please log in or become a subscriber.