NOLA brought up a good reason to behave according to the Golden Rule in the presence of others, whether or not one is able to act with complete impunity. But, what if one is truly omnipotent and in a class entirely by oneself -- a deity?
This comes back to my earlier statements about ethics being based on what will ultimately bring oneself the greatest happiness. Whether or not one is among others, if one acts so as to truly bring oneself the greatest ultimate happiness, then I contend that one is being good for the happiness of being good. In isolation, this means taking care of oneself, which ultimately requires a high degree of self-honesty; one cannot take care of oneself if one deceives oneself about ones condition. Among others, this also means dealing with others honestly and fairly, for this is the surest path to ensuring that they will treat one similarly.
In the end, it amounts to the same thing: that which we call "good behavior" is also a sound basis for ones own happiness, and that applies, so far as I can tell, universally. |
