What is goodness when no one is watching?
An exploration of authentic morality and the performance of virtue
We live in an age of public virtue—every donation documented, every good deed posted, every moral stance proclaimed. But what happens to our ethics in true privacy? When stripped of audience, recognition, and even the possibility of discovery, what remains of our goodness?
This session investigates whether genuine morality can exist without witness, or whether the very concept of "being good" requires someone—God, society, or ourselves—to be watching. We'll examine the gap between moral performance and authentic virtue, questioning whether our ethical choices in solitude reveal our true character or whether morality is inherently social.
What is goodness when no one is watching?
An exploration of authentic morality and the performance of virtue
We live in an age of public virtue—every donation documented, every good deed posted, every moral stance proclaimed. But what happens to our ethics in true privacy? When stripped of audience, recognition, and even the possibility of discovery, what remains of our goodness?
This session investigates whether genuine morality can exist without witness, or whether the very concept of "being good" requires someone—God, society, or ourselves—to be watching. We'll examine the gap between moral performance and authentic virtue, questioning whether our ethical choices in solitude reveal our true character or whether morality is inherently social.
An exploration of authentic morality and the performance of virtue
We live in an age of public virtue—every donation documented, every good deed posted, every moral stance proclaimed. But what happens to our ethics in true privacy? When stripped of audience, recognition, and even the possibility of discovery, what remains of our goodness?
This session investigates whether genuine morality can exist without witness, or whether the very concept of "being good" requires someone—God, society, or ourselves—to be watching. We'll examine the gap between moral performance and authentic virtue, questioning whether our ethical choices in solitude reveal our true character or whether morality is inherently social.
Conversation Catalysts
At Premise, a Conversation Catalyst is a short story, essay, film, or poem that sparks reflection and connection. It’s the shared reference point that grounds each session and opens the door to meaningful and deep conversation.
Peter Singer, "The Solution to World Poverty"
Flannery O'Connor, "The Life You Save May Be Your Own"
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Peter Singer, "The Solution to World Poverty" (1999)
Singer's utilitarian manifesto demands we save drowning children and dying strangers alike, regardless of who's watching. But does his moral mathematics work in true privacy?
Flannery O'Connor, "The Life You Save May Be Your Own" (1953)
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Peter Singer, "The Solution to World Poverty"
Flannery O'Connor, "The Life You Save May Be Your Own"
Peter Singer, "The Solution to World Poverty" (1999)
Singer's utilitarian manifesto demands we save drowning children and dying strangers alike, regardless of who's watching. But does his moral mathematics work in true privacy?
Flannery O'Connor, "The Life You Save May Be Your Own" (1953)
Conversation Catalysts
At Premise, a Conversation Catalyst is a short story, essay, film, or poem that sparks reflection and connection. It’s the shared reference point that grounds each session and opens the door to meaningful and deep conversation.
Peter Singer, "The Solution to World Poverty"
Flannery O'Connor, "The Life You Save May Be Your Own"
Text Set A
Session Description
Peter Singer, "The Solution to World Poverty" (1999)
Singer's utilitarian manifesto demands we save drowning children and dying strangers alike, regardless of who's watching. But does his moral mathematics work in true privacy?
Flannery O'Connor, "The Life You Save May Be Your Own" (1953)
A drifter performs elaborate kindnesses while harboring cruel intentions, revealing how goodness becomes theater when someone—anyone—is watching.
These texts create a powerful friction: Singer's confidence in rational moral behavior meets O'Connor's devastating portrait of human self-deception. Together they ask: Is private virtue a philosophical ideal or a psychological impossibility?
Text Set A
Session Description
Peter Singer, "The Solution to World Poverty" (1999)
Singer's utilitarian manifesto demands we save drowning children and dying strangers alike, regardless of who's watching. But does his moral mathematics work in true privacy?
Flannery O'Connor, "The Life You Save May Be Your Own" (1953)
A drifter performs elaborate kindnesses while harboring cruel intentions, revealing how goodness becomes theater when someone—anyone—is watching.
These texts create a powerful friction: Singer's confidence in rational moral behavior meets O'Connor's devastating portrait of human self-deception. Together they ask: Is private virtue a philosophical ideal or a psychological impossibility?
Conversation Catalysts
At Premise, a Conversation Catalyst is a short story, essay, film, or poem that sparks reflection and connection. It’s the shared reference point that grounds each session and opens the door to meaningful and deep conversation.
Text Set B
Session Description
Text Set A
Session Description
Peter Singer, "The Solution to World Poverty" (1999)
Singer's utilitarian manifesto demands we save drowning children and dying strangers alike, regardless of who's watching. But does his moral mathematics work in true privacy?
Flannery O'Connor, "The Life You Save May Be Your Own" (1953)
A drifter performs elaborate kindnesses while harboring cruel intentions, revealing how goodness becomes theater when someone—anyone—is watching.
These texts create a powerful friction: Singer's confidence in rational moral behavior meets O'Connor's devastating portrait of human self-deception. Together they ask: Is private virtue a philosophical ideal or a psychological impossibility?