How we learn the courage to do the right thing

What is it about?

Most people will at some point find themselves in a situation where they know what they ought to do, but be too afraid of what others will think of them to actually do it. Fostering what Adam Smith called a "love of praiseworthiness" strong enough to trump our fear of blame is therefore key to becoming a good person. I argue that Adam Smith's notion of the commendable "love of praiseworthiness", rather than being a basic feature of our psychology, actually arises out of the (sometimes) vain "love of praise". I therefore argue that we can develop the courage to act on our convictions by redirecting our love of praise away from other people and towards our own conscience, seeking sympathy with ourselves instead of praise from others.

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Why is it important?

This article explains how we develop the courage to do the right thing, and can therefore be used as a guide to fostering this courage in ourselves and others.

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