 Bertrand Russell Quotes 366 |
We want intrinsic value for ourselves and for the people of whom we are fond. We may perhaps extend our feelings to all our compatriots, but it is only very few people who extend them to all mankind. It follows that the distribution of intrinsic value which people naturally desire is not impartial, and is therefore not at all likely to be what makes the total of intrinsic value as large as possible. Morality is to a very large extent an attempt to combat this partiality and to lead people in action to attach as much importance to the good of others as to their own.
Source: Bertrand Russell: Human Society in Ethics and Politics, 1954,pt.2,chap.2: Politically Important Desires (Nobel Prize Acceptant Speech
More info.: https://russell-j.com/cool/47T-1101.htm
* a brief comment (Translated with DeepL.com)
It seems important that 'in action' is attached to 'people' in the last sentence (people in action).
It is not enough to "only" think about the well-being of people other than oneself or those related to oneself. Russell's point is well expressed in the expression "morality is largely an attempt to combat these human biases (prejudices) and to lead people to place as much importance on the well-being of others as on their own well-being when they act."