Being Nice Works: The Tale of Bob and Uglor

Chapter 9.3: It's useful, and it just feels better.

Why this book | Title Page | Table of Contents
Preface | Introduction
PART 1
Chapter 1 (1.1) (1.2) | Chapter 2 (2.1) (2.2) (2.3) | Chapter 3 (3.1) (3.2) (3.3) (3.4) (3.5) (3.6)
PART 2
Chapter 4 (4.1) (4.2) (4.3) (4.4) (4.5) | Chapter 5 (5.1) (5.2) (5.3) (5.4) (5.5) (5.6) (5.7) (5.8) (5.9)
Chapter 6 (6.1) (6.2) (6.3) (6.4) (6.5)
PART 3
Chapter 7 (7.1) (7.2) (7.3) (7.4) (7.5) (7.6) | Chapter 8 (8.1) (8.2) (8.3) (8.4) (8.5) | Chapter 9 (9.1) (9.2) (9.3) Chapter 10 | Chapter 11 | Chapter 12 | Chapter 13 | Chapter 14
PART 4
Chapter 15 | Chapter 16 | Chapter 17 |
PART 5
Chapter 18 | Chapter 19 | Chapter 20 | Conclusion
Appendix | Works Cited

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Note: This is an installment of The Freedom Scale: An Accurate Measure of Left and Right. See here for installments of The Distributed Nation: A Plan for Human Independence.

Chapter 9.3
Where does it come from?

• It’s useful

• It feels right

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It’s useful

beneficial, experiential, teleological

So…each of us has a capacity for moral reasoning that is, at least to some degree, part of our physical nature. Great! Now what? What good does it do us?

Consider the case of Bob…

Bob and his family are eking out a meager existence somewhere on an ice-free section of prairie during the late Pleistocene. A short mastodon ride away is Uglor and his family, living a similarly hardscrabble lifestyle. Circumstances separated both families from their original clans.

You would think this would give them something in common, but the truth is, Bob and Uglor don’t trust each other.

Bob worries that Uglor might come and steal what little food they’ve been able to gather. They’re having trouble making ends meet as it is—losing even a little food, especially before winter, might just do them in. Uglor worries that Bob might come and carry off his wife, who, truth be told, is something of a Pleistocene beauty queen.

This mistrust makes life more difficult. In addition to looking for food and watching out for hungry predators, Bob and Uglor have to be wary of each other. This diverts their attention from more productive activities like gathering berries and inventing beef jerky.

One day, Bob sees Uglor with his leg pinned beneath a rock and a hungry saber-toothed cat heading his way, licking his saber-toothed chops. At first, Bob thinks, “Cool—that big ugly kitty is going to solve my Uglor problem.” But then, some small inner voice suggests a different course of action. At the last minute, Bob runs up, scares off the big cat, and lifts the rock off of Uglor’s leg.

Uglor is grateful, but cannot conceal his shock. Feeling awkward, he grunts and starts to run off. But then, for a brief moment, he stops, looks back at Bob, and smiles.

A week later, Uglor shows up at Bob’s hut with a handful of berries. The takeaway is obvious, even on the perilous plains of the Pleistocene. Bob thinks, I treated him well; now he is treating me well. Hey, that’s pretty cool. And useful, too, since some berries would really hit the spot right about now.

But rather than just taking the berries, Bob stops, divides them in half, and hands the other half back to Uglor. They sit and start to eat them together. Summoning up their courage, Bob’s family sheepishly emerges from the hut to find him sharing berries and laughing with the once-feared Uglor!

Art by Gail Gajronay

A week later, both families are together barbecuing mammoth in Uglor’s backyard. The kids are playing, the wives are chatting, and Uglor is showing Bob…