http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/nm/20001221/hl/morals_2.html
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) – In general, people see themselves as kind, generous and fair–even a step above the less-altruistic masses. And a lot of these people are fooling themselves, new research suggests.
Researchers have consistently found that the average person considers his moral character to be stronger than his neighbor’s. One question has been whether these holier-than-thou'' types are underestimating others or overestimating themselves. Four new studies of Cornell University students suggest it is the latter. People consistently overestimate themselves, but they’re pretty accurate about others,’’ David Dunning, a professor of psychology at the Ithaca, New York, university told Reuters Health.Etc. It is C, but only the beginning is quoted, mods.
Do you agree?
I do.
If I only thought I was better, this thread would belong in IMHO. It’s a good thing I *know * I’m better.
Anyway, research like this assumes that the researcher can better determine the subject’s moral character than the subject can. It’d be interesting to do research into how founded that belief in the researcher’s superior abilities is…
But the research showed that people can judge others pretty well, so therefore the researchers themselves can judge others pretty well … therefore the research must be true
Maybe we could have to research teams investigating each other …
I believe my moral character is superior to the vast majority of men and teenage girls. However, as women grow older they generally seem to vastly improve their moral character way beyond me or men in general. By moral, I mean empathy, concern and action for others than themselves or their immediate family.
I don’t see any inherent contradiction in each person rationally considering himself or herself more moral than average. Different people have different definitions of what actions constitute moral actions and what actions are considered immoral. Given some correlation between what actions an individual considers to be moral and behavior, it’s entirely reasonable that according to each person’s set of moral standards they are acting more morally than the others.
For example: I might think it’s immoral to post in the wrong message board. peace does not. I may conclude that peace has acted immorally by posting to GQ with the only question in the OP ‘Do you agree?’, but if peace’s self-evaluation doesn’t include poor etiquette as a negative action, peace’s moral self-evaluation would be unchanged.
Surprise! Surprise! I’m very moral! And, as the study said, I’m sure I’m better than most! So, I am willing to open it in IMHO. I do not know how to do it (other than just leave this one here and open a new one there. But then anyone can do that, without waiting for me.) So, tell me how to do that(last time). Tx.
peace, you cannot move a post because you are not a moderator. Only a moderator can move a topic from one forum to another.“People consistently overestimate themselves”, indeed!
