Temptation: Difference between revisions

Latest revision as of 18:00, 4 July 2024

All temptations come from the brain's tendency to favor immediate rewards over long-term consequences, which increases the saliency of cheating.

Short Term Fun, Long Term Regret

Nobody is tempted to do anything that provides no pleasure. Whether the temptation is food that is delicious but bad for you, sex that betrays your partner, or money, power and prestige that isn't earned, there is always some immediate reward to the cheater, with the long-term consequences often not seen unless the the cheater is caught or looks in the mirror years later wondering why they ate all that cake or swindled all those retirees out of their savings.

While cheating is always bad, there are many things like food, sex and money that are essential to our happiness and well-being in moderation but incredibly destructive once they become an addiction. The key is to structure our lives and our systems to encourage moderation as much as possible by making these things accessible to all without the ever-present temptations that mass media advertising is heavily incentivized to create.

Resistance On the Path to Internalization

If you find that you must resist the urge to cheat, lie, steal, or otherwise break with your moral code, this is a sign that you have not fully internalized that code. Those who have fully internalized their morality do not feel any temptation at all--their reaction is immediate and automatic, requiring no thought or internal debate. Temptation and resistance happens in the prefrontal cortex of the brain, while internalized morality happens in the limbic system where highly trained reactions have become reflexive.

This can also be seen on the Kohlberg Scale, where the beginning stages of moral reasoning are based on rules, while the higher levels are based on universal principles.

Part of enlightenment includes the internalization of universal morality.

Sapolsky has compared this to the Catholic notion of a "State of Grace" which is apt. If we are truly in harmony with "god's will" (manifested by our evolutionary psychology) then we no longer need to use our "free will" to resist temptations.

Not Safe For YouTube

Searching YouTube for "Temptation" is not recommended, as it yields an unhealthy mix of JP and JC and manosphere related content.

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-All temptations come from the brain's tendency to favor [[immediate rewards]] over [[long-term consequences]], which increases the [[saliency]] of [[cheating]].
+[[File:Temptation-apple-eve-salience-reward-consequence.jpg|thumb|The original temptation]]
+All temptations come from the [[Brains|brain's]] tendency to favor [[immediate rewards]] over [[long-term consequences]], which increases the [[saliency]] of [[cheating]].
-Nobody is tempted to do anything that provides no pleasure. Whether the temptation is food that is delicious but bad for you, [[sex]] that betrays your partner, or money, power and prestige that isn't earned, there is always some [[immediate reward]] to the cheater, with the [[long-term consequences]] often not seen unless the the cheater is caught or looks in the mirror years later wondering why they ate all that cake or swindled all those retirees out of their savings.
+== Short Term Fun, Long Term Regret ==
+Nobody is tempted to do anything that provides no pleasure. Whether the temptation is [[food]] that is delicious but bad for you, [[sex]] that betrays your partner, or [[money]], [[power]] and prestige that isn't earned, there is always some [[immediate reward]] to the cheater, with the [[long-term consequences]] often not seen unless the the cheater is caught or looks in the mirror years later wondering why they ate all that cake or [[Grift|swindled]] all those retirees out of their savings.
 While cheating is always bad, there are many things like [[food]], [[sex]] and [[money]] that are essential to our [[happiness and well-being]] in [[moderation]] but incredibly destructive once they become an [[addiction]]. The key is to structure our lives and our systems to encourage [[moderation]] as much as possible by making these things accessible to all without the ever-present temptations that mass media [[advertising]] is heavily incentivized to create.
-Searching YouTube for Temptation is not recommended, as it yields a mix of [[JP and JC]] and [[manosphere]] related content.
+== Resistance On the Path to Internalization ==
+If you find that you must resist the urge to [[cheat]], [[lie]], [[steal]], or otherwise break with your [[moral]] code, this is a sign that you have not fully internalized that code. Those who have fully internalized their [[morality]] do not feel any temptation at all--their reaction is immediate and automatic, requiring no thought or internal debate. Temptation and resistance happens in the [[wikipedia:Prefrontal_cortex|prefrontal cortex]] of the [[brain]], while internalized [[morality]] happens in the [[wikipedia:Limbic_system|limbic system]] where highly trained reactions have become reflexive.
+This can also be seen on the [[Kohlberg|Kohlberg Scale]], where the beginning stages of [[moral]] reasoning are based on rules, while the higher levels are based on [[universal]] principles.
+Part of [[enlightenment]] includes the internalization of [[universal]] [[morality]].
+[[wikipedia:Robert_Sapolsky|Sapolsky]] has compared this to the Catholic notion of a "[https://www.catholicnh.org/assets/Documents/Worship/Our-Faith/Understanding/StateOfGrace.pdf State of Grace]" which is apt. If we are truly in harmony with "[[god]]'s will" (manifested by our [[evolutionary]] [[psychology]]) then we no longer need to use our "[[free will]]" to resist temptations.
+== Not Safe For YouTube ==
+Searching YouTube for "Temptation" is not recommended, as it yields an unhealthy mix of [[JP and JC]] and [[manosphere]] related content.
 {{#ev:youtube|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yHpyj82yGMs||center||frame}}