Why do we help?
I start with the Kantian argument for acting from duty, then ask whether mixed motives should make a helpful action count for less.
What should we encourage?
People help for all sorts of reasons, including care, habit, reward and social pressure. I ask how society should encourage good outcomes given that mixture.
About the argument.
The essay makes a philosophical case. Its biological analogies are part of that argument; I haven’t conducted original research into human motivation.
What do we lose or gain when we judge actions by what they accomplish?READ THE ORIGINAL ESSAY PDF ↗More about Nalin ↗