Morals are Simple Game Theory

[lehighguy]

Morals a human creations. They are made because we derive satisfaction from living by thier principles. Even if obeying them prevents us from meeting physical wants/needs we gain psycological benefits from believing we follow a moral code. Following a moral code gives someone a sense of ego, like they are different from everyone else. It gives them a sense of self worth. It justifies thier existence. These are powerful psycological incentives to act morally. So it can really be broken down into an equation:

When
Psycological Benefit > Physical Benefit
person A acts morally.

Thus, morality is simple game theory in which the players try to maximize thier own personal gain. What determines "benefit" values. Well that's more complicated. Each person is a sum of thier experiences, genetics, and for the more religous thier soul. As a result some people put a higher value on morals then others. People also devise different moral codes to suit thier different tastes, just as people enjoy different flavors of ice cream. Even a mobster lives by "mob ethics".

Even those we would consider completely immoral, such as serial killers, are acting within the confines of the above game. They have some overwhelming psycological need to kill and they are willing to risk violence, capture, prosecution and a variety of other risks to meet that psycological need.