{"id":6349,"date":"2016-06-18T11:03:18","date_gmt":"2016-06-18T11:03:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/maverickphilosopher.blog\/index.php\/2016\/06\/18\/moral-narcissism\/"},"modified":"2016-06-18T11:03:18","modified_gmt":"2016-06-18T11:03:18","slug":"moral-narcissism","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/maverickphilosopher.blog\/index.php\/2016\/06\/18\/moral-narcissism\/","title":{"rendered":"Moral Narcissism"},"content":{"rendered":"

As defined by Roger L. Simon1<\/sup>:<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

Briefly stated, moral narcissism is this: What you say you believe or claim you believe \u2014 not how you actually behave \u2014 defines who you are and makes you \u201cvirtuous\u201d in your own eyes and the eyes of others. Almost always, this is without regard to the consequences of those beliefs, because actual real-world results are immaterial and often ignored.<\/span><\/p>\n

If you have the right opinions and say the right things, people will remember your pronouncements, not your actions or what happened because of them.<\/span><\/p>\n

That is moral narcissism.<\/span><\/p>\n

We see this in the campaign of Bernie Sanders, a moral narcissist par excellence who, rarely revising a half-century-old worldview, trumpets the virtues of socialism with scant reference to the cost of its programs or to its often-totalitarian outcome. <\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

I would add that moral narcissism fits nicely with the denial of objective truth, one of the features of contemporary liberalism.  If there is no objective way things are, then all that matters is how one postures and what one says.  If you say the 'right' things, the politically correct things, the 'sensitive,' 'nonjudgmental,' 'inclusive,' things, then you are good person whether or not any of it can be expected to work out in reality.<\/span><\/p>\n

For example, it sounds really good and 'caring' to say that the state should provide free college educations at public institutions for all and to call for an expansion of social services generally.  And its sounds 'racist' and 'xenophobic' and 'mean-spirited' to insist on the stoppage of illegal immigration.  But put the two together, freebies and open borders,and you get an objective absurdity that cannot work out in reality.<\/span><\/p>\n

Not to confront this contradiction shows a lack of concern for truth.<\/span><\/p>\n

Obviously, a sustainable  welfare state requires strict immigration control.  Or, if you prefer open borders, then you need a libertarian clamp-down on entitilements and social services.  One or the other.  Reality places us before this exclusive 'or.'<\/span><\/p>\n

Sanders the socialist thinks he can have it both ways: a massive welfare state with open borders.  That is objectively unworkable. Reality will not allow it.  But if there is no reality and no objective truth, then no problem!  One can say all the right things and posture as virtuous.<\/span><\/p>\n

And when disaster occurs, you can always plead your good intentions.<\/span><\/p>\n

That's moral narcissism.<\/span><\/p>\n

_____________________<\/span><\/p>\n

1<\/a><\/p>\n

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\"\"<\/a>Hypocrites in Reverse: Those Who Do Not Preach What They Practice<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/fieldset>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

As defined by Roger L. Simon1: Briefly stated, moral narcissism is this: What you say you believe or claim you believe \u2014 not how you actually behave \u2014 defines who you are and makes you \u201cvirtuous\u201d in your own eyes and the eyes of others. Almost always, this is without regard to the consequences of … Continue reading “Moral Narcissism”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[163,221,48],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6349","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-leftism-and-political-correctness","category-psychology-and-personality-typology","category-social-and-political-philosophy"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/maverickphilosopher.blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6349","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/maverickphilosopher.blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/maverickphilosopher.blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/maverickphilosopher.blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/maverickphilosopher.blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6349"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/maverickphilosopher.blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6349\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/maverickphilosopher.blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6349"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/maverickphilosopher.blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6349"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/maverickphilosopher.blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6349"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}