Guilt vs Shame-Based Morality
Discussion
Matt Forney:
“Guilt is the recognition that you have done something wrong, while shame is the feeling that you are wrong. The former requires acknowledging truth, while the latter has no connection to truth and centers around public perception of yourself and those close to you. … If you do wrong in a guilt-based morality system, your own conscience (assuming you aren’t a psychopath) gnaws away at you.
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Shame-based … morality is arguably an oxymoron, as it resembles amorality more than anything. If you are driven by shame, your primary motivation is to gain public prestige, or at least avoid losing it. Immoral actions are acceptable if they personally advance you or your family and you are not caught doing them. … Being publicly embarrassed is worse than committing a crime.
Moreover, guilt requires empathy and shame does not. In guilt-based morality, you do good (and avoid doing evil) because your empathy allows you to place yourself in the positions of other people. You avoid doing things like ripping people off because you can imagine what it would be like to be ripped off and can understand why ripping someone off would hurt them. …”