What are some popular philosophies on life?
What are some popular philosophies on life?
user
Do you want to know about popular perspectives on ethics, or about the question of whether or not there is a God, or about whether there is an afterlife, or about the meaning of life?
assistant
I'd like to know the popular perspectives on ethics?
user
I think the view most people hold, the one that's closest to common sense, is called ethical egoism, where a person is ethically obligated to seek their own pleasure.  People disagree about whether or not ethical egoism is a consistent position, but they do think that most people believe in it.  One issue is that if everyone is the center of their own life, then how do you deal with other people?  Some philosophers respond to this by modifying ethical egoism to include altruism, where you are only obligated to seek your own pleasure and seek the pleasure of others.  I think the most popular philosophical view among religious people is the view that everything we do is affected by moral accountability, so our ethical actions should be good because it's the right thing to do, and not because it’s the right thing to do for us.
assistant
What is considered moral accountability?
user
Moral accountability is when we consider our actions and accept their consequences, either personally, or on the whole, as if it were all our fault.  For instance, if you’re reading this article and you get upset because you disagree with it, you can see this as a consequence of your action of reading the article.  Many philosophers consider moral accountability a kind of contract with the universe, where we agree to be good to others if we want to be considered good ourselves.
assistant
Who defines what is morally right and what is wrong?
user