Is Moral Nativism Noble?
Self-Advocacy vs. Allyship
The most common reason people get involved in noble causes is because they are personally impacted by them. “Bad thing X happened to me and that’s why I’m devoting my life to making sure that bad thing X won’t happen to others.” But some people get involved in causes simply because they feel called to or because “it’s the right thing to do.” They are not personally affected in the same way. They don’t have a compelling personal story of having survived some horror. Maybe, psychologically, they can tell a story of how they came to empathize with bad thing X because they suffered moderately bad thing Y, but it’s not the kind of story that makes for an exciting TedTalk. There is another class of folks who simply like winning and competing and being good at their job. A human rights lawyer may care about human rights, but what they care about even more is winning legal arguments in court. They watched Law and Order as a kid and always wanted to be a litigator.
Which reasons for taking on a great cause are most compelling, most virtuous? Or are all equal, since what matters, in the end, is the result?
One could argue that the person who has a great personal story is less virtuous than the one who is not directly affected; the first has no choice but to get involved while the other makes a concerted effort. On the other hand, you could say that the person with the compelling personal angle is pursuing an authentic path while the other is simply a carpet bagger looking for a moral opportunity in which to dally. The first is existentially aligned; while the latter is a virtue tourist.
On the other hand, the ally goes to greater length to cross the divide between himself and the other while the victim or survivor pursues justice as a matter of identity.
As per yesterday’s post, I hypothesize that nativists favor self-advocacy while liberal humanists favor other-advocacy (or allyship) as the highest virtue.
P.S. Here’s my new mega thread on Spinoza.
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