Why we need to be good and why this makes us bad | Elleh N’Guetta | TEDxHSLU

TL;DR

The need for goodness leads to complex definitions of goodness, which can result in bad behavior and harmful systems.

Transcript

[Applause] hello and welcome everyone I'm elen geta and I'm currently pursuing my bachel degree in business psychology at H LSU in lern Switzerland during my studies I came across a lot of different theories who want to explain how we as humans work how our brain and our minds work and there were certain things that were always reoccurring certain ... Read More

Key Insights

• 🥶 Defining goodness becomes more complex as we grow older, face different contexts, and consider different perspectives.
• 🤳 Goodness is driven by empathy, the need for group survival, and the preservation of self-worth.
• 🥺 The pursuit of goodness can lead to the creation of harmful systems that justify bad behavior and harm others.
• 🤳 Systems such as slavery have been created to distance people from feeling empathy and maintain their self-worth.
• 🦡 Overly complicating goodness can result in justifying bad behavior through the evaluation of context and perspective.
• 👋 Knowledge and understanding can help individuals take accountability for their actions and strive to become truly good people.
• 🦡 Personal growth requires acknowledging the connection between the need for goodness and potential for bad actions.

Questions & Answers

Q: How does the complexity of defining goodness lead to bad behavior?

The speaker explains that when something is complex and difficult to grasp, we tend to overly complicate it, which can lead to senseless thinking. This can result in justifying bad behavior, such as lying, by evaluating the context and perspective.

Q: Why do humans need to be good?

Humans have three core reasons for needing goodness. Firstly, empathy allows us to feel what others are feeling, and being good makes us happy. Secondly, being good allows us to thrive in groups and societies, as good people share, care, and are fair. Lastly, goodness relates to cognitive dissonance and self-worth, which help us maintain a positive outlook on ourselves.

Q: How do harmful systems contribute to bad actions?

The speaker uses the examples of slavery throughout history to illustrate how harmful systems were created to justify bad actions. By dehumanizing slaves and believing false narratives about their pain and intelligence, people were able to distance themselves from feeling empathy and maintain their self-worth.

Q: How can knowledge help us become better people?

Taking accountability for our actions and understanding why goodness can lead to bad actions is essential for personal growth. By gaining knowledge and understanding the complexities of goodness, we can make more informed choices and strive to become truly good individuals.

Summary & Key Takeaways

• The speaker discusses the complexity of defining and understanding goodness as we grow older and face different contexts and perspectives.

• Goodness is driven by empathy, the need to thrive in groups, and cognitive dissonance related to self-worth.

• The pursuit of goodness can lead to the creation of harmful systems that justify bad behavior.