Being Better Than Someone Worse Doesn’t Make You Good
We can always find someone who behaves worse than we do. That doesn’t make our own conduct moral.
TL;DR
- People frequently evaluate their own conduct by comparing themselves to others.
- Using someone who behaves worse as a moral benchmark is not a meaningful standard.
- Avoiding notorious crimes is good, but it doesn't define personal morality.
- Someone else's terrible actions provide no information about whether one is acting justly, honestly, or compassionately.