Australian Ethics
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AUSTRALIAN ETHICS DECEMBER 2013 AUSTRALIAN APPLIED ETHICS PRESIDENT’S REPORT ASSOCIAITON FOR PROFSSIONAL AND ETHICAL REFLECTIONS E T H I C S : O N MEANNESS APPLIED AND Hugh Breakey PROFESSIONAL Business Meanness is a common occurrence. It ‘contempt’ and ‘cruelty’. Even here, his forms part of the social backdrop in Education treatment is revealing. Hobbes holds which we all live, play and work. Most Engineering that these emotions arise from being of us, I think, can think of examples of Environment insensible to others’ calamities—an mean behaviour we have witnessed, Law insensitivity he thinks proceeds from and many of us would know someone Medical one’s own security. For Hobbes does we think of as ‘having a mean streak’. not conceive it possible ‘that any man Nursing should take pleasure in other men’s Police Yet meanness is not a topic that gar- great harms’ purely for its own sake. Public Policy ners much ethical attention. Out of As I read him, Hobbes first tries to pre- Public Sector curiosity, I recently searched a few academic databases for works on sent cruelty as an instance of insensi- Social Work meanness. Even in the context of psy- tivity (which it is not), and then tries to Teaching chology there was surprisingly little— confect ‘ends’ being served by the cru- most of it about school-age children. elty, so as to deny the possibility—the INSIDE THIS I S- In terms of philosophical or ethical very conceivability—of someone inflict- SUE: analysis, there was almost nothing. ing harm for the sheer pleasure of it. PRESIDENT’S 1 This seems to me startling—surely Defining meanness REPORT meanness, as much as selfishness, is one of the key drivers of human mis- I think Hobbes is wrong. Meanness is U P C O M I N G 4 ery in the modern world. Perhaps it is not selfishness or callousness. The 2013 AAPAE more visible when performed to and callous person is amoral: she is some- CONFERENCE by schoolchildren, but it is hardly an one who is willing to do whatever it exclusive concern of that age-group. takes to secure her desired ends: A THEORY OF 6 power, money, influence and so on. ACCOUNTABIL- I wonder if this lack of discussion im- ITY But the harm the callous person in- plies that we struggle to face up to the flicts is not performed for its own sake, idea that some people might want to as an end in itself. It is done only in- BUILDING THE 9 be cruel to other people, just for its strumentally, as a means to some ETHICAL MUS- own sake. Hobbes, for example, is not CLE other, distinct value. The mean per- a philosopher known for his rosy view son, however, performs the harm for of human nature. Yet in an otherwise its own sake, and not for any further T H E I R R E- 11 lengthy explanation of emotions and good. He wants to inflict harm, to drag SPONSIBILITY their meanings in Leviathan, he does O F C S R another person down, to wreck her not mention meanness at all. The self-belief and undermine her self- closest he gets is the emotions of esteem. Meanness, then, is low-grade AUSTRALIAN ETHICS, D ECEMBER 2013 Page 2 REFLECTIONS ON MEANN ESS (CONT’D) cruelty; cruelty for people with- ships that might prove massively the immediate effect one has on out a work ethic. beneficial for their future, mean the world. A mean action makes people go around unnecessarily a difference, it is a way the world Meanness, so defined, is every- making enemies. Soundlessly, is changed by one’s actions, it is where, including in the domain invisibly, mean people are cut off an achievement (albeit one easy patrolled by professional and from future job opportunities, to accomplish). If that is right, applied ethics. I submit that it helpful associations, fun events, meanness is a strategy against motivates harassment and bul- insignificance; it is a prop for an lying in the workplace, vitriol in ego that needs to see its will im- the twittersphere and attacks “If it isn’t per- pact upon the world. on facebook, personal abuse in formed on the ba- relationships, point-scoring in sis of selfishness or The significance of meanness: boardroom discussions, and Racism and sexism verbal assaults on random self-interestedness, Suppose we take meanness seri- strangers in public places. To why are so many of ously as a real and abiding fact of be sure, all these actions can us mean, at least human psychology. Could that happen for motivations distinct inform the way we think about from meanness. But very often, on the odd occa- some issues in professional and I think, they are a result of a sion?” applied ethics? naked will to harm for its own positions of authority, friend- sake. ships and relationships, and all It might. For the existence of meanness might imply that the Meanness as will to power because they couldn’t resist the temptation to knock someone problems we think we have with Why are people mean? This down a peg. other areas—such as racism and seems to me a much more per- sexism—may in large part be a plexing question than the more But this very fact makes mean- problem we have with meanness. general one of, ‘why are people ness perplexing. If it isn’t per- Sometimes social commentators selfish?’ People are selfish be- formed on the basis of self- seem to speak as if racists are cause they don’t accept any interested prudence, why are so otherwise decent, reasonable moral constraints on getting many of us mean, at least on the folk who—if only they could only what they want. Selfish people odd occasion? be disabused of their irrational simply see what they want and Here’s one speculation: perhaps notions about racial difference— they go for it. But meanness is meanness is an expression of would thereafter be good and to enjoy inflicting harm for its what Nietzsche called the will to worthy citizens. On this view, the own sake—not merely as an in- power—the wish to feel and problem is fundamentally one strument to some further, ulte- know that one is powerful. about their views and values on rior motive. As such, meanness Meanness gives the mean per- race in particular, and not a more is not only different to selfish- son the thrill of mattering in the general one about their moral ness, but can often conflict with world, of being an object of oth- psychology. the narrow pursuit of one’s ers’ attentions, of having an im- other desires. Mean people of- pact on what others are doing I accept that there are some peo- ten undermine their own self- and feeling. It is an action one ple who are like this. It’s not hard interest when they are mean. can perform where one can see to imagine an otherwise good- Instead of facilitating relation- hearted person who grew up in a AUSTRALIAN ETHICS, D ECEMBER 2013 Page 3 PRESIDENT’S REPORT (CONT’D) culture where children are iour hurts others and to under- pare for people to actively at- taught that racial differences stand why it does so. But such a tempt to undermine our efforts to are morally relevant, or who course of consciousness-raising implement such measures. If rac- lives in a world where all the cannot cure meanness. The ist or discriminatory behaviour is people with a particular skin mean person wants to hurt oth- not a means to an end, but for colour are poor and unedu- ers. Showing him the effects of the mean person an end in itself, cated, and who mistakenly con- his actions just demonstrates then prohibiting such acts do not cludes that racial difference that he is succeeding. merely prevent a person taking correlates with differences of “Their character particular means to pursue ends character or rationality. But in they can achieve in other ways. my own world at least, I don’t flaws were by no Instead, such rules prohibit the think I’ve ever actually met any- means limited to person’s desired end itself. And one like that. Pretty much every their particular that suggests such prohibitions person I’ve ever met who es- will be resolutely resisted. poused what seemed to me views on discrete To be sure, it’s possible I have genuinely racist or sexist views classes of peo- the causal story quite backwards. was not otherwise a nice per- ple.” Maybe the presence of sexism son. Their character flaws were and racism enable and encour- by no means limited to their age the broader character trait of particular views on discrete This isn’t to say that pro- meanness, rather than being classes of people. They were grammes preventing racism and manifestations of it. But either mean in a much more unquali- other sorts of discrimination are way, if our goal is to improve the fied sense. not worthwhile. Preventing racial morality of workplaces, home- This point needs to be distin- insensitivity and thoughtless sex- lives and social engagements, it guished from a person being ism are noble goals, and rules helps to be clear-eyed about the insensitive to racial or sexual prohibiting certain acts can work nature of the problem confronting issues. Certainly someone can irrespective of the motives differ- us. be a decent person who, ent people have for performing Hugh Breakey through lack of awareness those acts.