I have a theory that most of us, certainly not all, are basically good people who want to help others and reduce suffering in the world. To illustrate this, here's the thought experiment:
The argument is that most people would press the button to help everyone, given the opportunity, but given the reality of competing resources we're forced to fight with each other - what some would consider immorality.
You place any given person in a room with two buttons:
- one is a 'permanently solve every problem' button for themselves
- the other is a 'permanently solve every problem' button for everyone in the world, including themselves
No strings attached, no catch, all they have to do is walk across the room, and press one of the buttons. Which of the buttons do they press?
The argument is that most people would press the button to help everyone, given the opportunity, but given the reality of competing resources we're forced to fight with each other - what some would consider immorality.