Sons o' bitches - Always ready to ruin your day

Every time I go to the bank, to a public bureau or some family parties, whenever I get to read some senseless shit online; I wonder how is it that there's so many Sons o' bitches around. My basic questioning revolves around the idea: Are we fair and good because there's a pleasure related to be so?, or, do we have a limiter that blocks our bad behaving? either because of the fear to be punished or the hope to be recognized.

Why do we behave? is What Plato asks in his second book of Republic.
Why do we behave fairly? You know, those kind of questions one starts to wonder about whenever we are taking a dump, and totally forget about them as soon as we wash our hands.
But of course, the author in that case was not a slave, neither female and is Greek; so he had a lot of time to think whenever he took a dump; especially because he had no smartphone or shampoo labels to read.

When Glaucon, son of Ariston, the character Socrates talks with in that book, starts to unveil the mess those questions imply, one starts to notice how interesting the topic is (It really is! Last night I went to bed late, just because we meddled around way too much). Because we end up talking about how do we survive as a society instead of shitting on each other whenever possible.

---

To progress in this, Glaucon distinguishes 3 kinds of goods: the ones we are after because the pleasure they represent and have no consequences (like, a blowjob), the ones we ambition because of the potential they inherently hold (knowledge, health, wealth) and the ones that are painful but useful (like, going to the gym or working).

Glaucon, at a point proposes a thought experiment (something I've explained in a previous article).

Socrates was characterized for being a smart, good guy; I would call that a sarcastic jerk, yet, it seems that Glaucon was really into the topic... But, I rather show you some contemporary examples of what happened.

---

During the first experiment a lot of people is invited into the lab, in private they tell them (more or less) this:

You've to chose between one of this tasks, the other one will go for someone that you do not know and that will not know you had to make this choice
• The first one is a test, a series of really fun and entertaining questions; for each right answer you'll get a lottery ticket.
• The second one is a boring task, also questions but not so fun; and you get nothing if you're right.

Of course, in this experiment the outcome is not surprising: 8 out of 10 people chose the fun and potentially rewarding task for themselves.
Now, the researchers ask the test subjects to score their own action from an ethical point of view, from 1 to 9, the ones that behaved like selfish jerks qualify themselves, in average, at a 4. This is, they did behave like selfish sons o' bitches, but at least they admit that they did.

During the second experiment, another group of people is invited in, there's again two tasks, a cool one and a boring one. But, now besides the previous two choices, a third one is added

• You may flip a coin to decide which task to take, and you don't have to tell us whom "won", you just have to tell us the outcome

They are left alone in their choice.
Half of them does not flip the coin and take the fun task with no consideration. In that half, 90% keep the fun task for themselves and score their own moral just like the previous test (selfish bastards).
Now, check out what happens with the other 50% that chose to flip the coin. If they "truly" assigned a task for head or tails the outcome "should" be 50/50 as a result (that is what probability laws told me, the last time I checked). But,90 percent "wins" the cool task! (sons o' bitches are really, REALLY, lucky fellows!) Hypocrites. One thing is clear: The ones that chose the rather "fair" option are not as honest as the ones that frontally chose to benefit themselves.

But, that's not all! Third experiment: same variables, but the coin is changed for one that is marked on both sides (cool task/shitty task)... And they are secretly filmed.
You know what the "flippers" did? They flipped the coin as many times as needed to get the outcome that they wanted!. Just like those stupid promises that we make to ourselves (like, "If I don't step on the tile lines as I walk this whole block I'll talk to her", but Son o' bitch version). Top that off with, the same MoFos score themselves significantly higher ranking compared to the honest sons o' bitches (of course, they didn't know they were observed).

---

We are doomed, everyone is a son o' a bitch. How can we change that? What happens when you tell them that they are being observed?: Everything changes, only 63% of them chose the cool task for themselves, and the ones that chose the coin respect the laws of probability, they get 50/50.

---

We naturally chose personal benefit over others (unless it may return future benefits to us by other means). It is not that we are all sons o' bitches... We are survivalists. It is only being observed that saves others from us taking advantage.

---

I just noticed that you may want the paper, to verify that I'm not just taking advantage here.