The attempt to persuade people to be moral when it is contrary to their interests is doomed to fail. Better to correct errors (misperceived interests), create environments in which it pays to cooperate, and invent new and better ways of cooperating.
@Oliver_S_Curry Every day at every moment people follow moral rules which are against their interests. Professors stuck in a model are blind to this elephant in the room.
@Oliver_S_Curry Too pessimistic. People are quite capable of knowingly acting against their interests
@Oliver_S_Curry There has to be a fitness payoff, a reward, to moral behavior embedded in the culture. Right now there isn't one in the board rooms or the political institutions
@Oliver_S_Curry This is an extremely high-quality insight. Moral philosophers obviously won't like it, since it reduces their relevance and power, but it's unquestionably the smartest way to proceed in the real world.
@Oliver_S_Curry Probably one of the greatest barrier to moral progress is the widespread aversion to put self-interest at the center. It would it then help focus on the practicalities you mention.
@Oliver_S_Curry Aligning self interest with the collective interest seems like the way to go
@Oliver_S_Curry sounds smart, but how to implement this in practice, e.g., in fake news? Especially if truth is misaligned with one's group affiliation or interests (e.g., higher taxes)
@Oliver_S_Curry I pretty much agree with this. The best solution to a lot of problems is, if possible, to remove bad incentives. There are people who will behave morally when it is against their own interests, but not nearly enough people in enough situations.