“Self-Deception” by Samuel Johnson



“Self-Deception” by Samuel Johnson

Some ways self-deceivers persuade themselves that they are virtuous:

a. They tell themselves they have a habit of virtue when really they have only performed a single act of virtue.

b. They excuse their acts of vice as casual failures so they don’t appear to themselves to have the bad character that they do in reality.

c. They may surround themselves with people who are dependent upon them or subservient to them and so are compelled to agree with whatever they boast about. (ie. No one to point out their faults).

d. The friends they choose either have the same vices and won’t point them out, or they don’t wish to cause the person pain by pointing out their faults.

e. They praise virtue with their mouths (and have convinced themselves they are good) but they don’t do good. (ie. They talk the talk, but don’t walk the walk, and they think they are what they say).

f. They don’t regulate their actions by a fixed standard of morality, but by what other people do.

g. They point out other people’s faults and thus, take the attention off of themselves.

h. They refuse to have sober reflection about their life and character.

“Upon Self-Deceit” by Joseph Butler

Parable told to King David by the Prophet, Nathan:

(II Samuel 11-12:15)

There was a rich and poor man. The rich man had many flocks; poor man had one little lamb that he raised well. His family was very close to the lamb. A traveler came to visit the rich man. The rich man, instead of killing one of his own lambs, steals and kills the poor man’s lamb for the traveler to eat.

King David gets angry at the rich man and says that the rich man should pay four times as restitution and then be put to death. Nathan tells David that he is the rich man.

[Rich man = King David; Uriah = poor man; lamb = Bathsheba.

Stealing and killing lamb = adultery with Bathsheba and killing Uriah.]

Some things we learn about self-deceit:

❑ Most people are partial to themselves—strangers to their own character; think and judge other’s actions differently from their own.

❑ The precept, “Know thyself!” was used by ancient philosophers to help people recognize and prevent self-deception.

❑ Self-deceivers never doubt or question their own character and behavior. Due to a lack of self-reflection and self-judgment.

❑ Self-deceivers think all is right with them. Due to too much self-love.

❑ They disregard instruction and reproof, rules of conduct, and moral discipline, in the sense that they won’t use it to make them better people.

❑ They often look much more closely at their own interests, no matter how minute, than the interests of others.

❑ When they do reflect about an action, it is to justify it or make it seem better to themselves– not to see if it is right.

❑ Whereas with ordinary wickedness, one’s selfishness mainly relates to his passions and desires, the wickedness of self-deception influences how we understand and view things. Colors our view with an overfondness for ourselves.

❑ It is hard to notice the vice of self-deceit since there’s no specific act or inaction that manifests it. But although much of human interaction cannot be reduced to fixed rules, there is still a right and wrong.

❑ If you’re going to be wicked, it’s better to do it with common vicious passions than to be deluded about it because delusion undermines the whole principle of good and dulls our conscience.

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