Self-Righteousness as a Moral Problem

Excerpt

We all know of persons whose words and actions we would at least sometimes want to describe as self-righteous. Indeed one striking feature of self-righteousness is its prevalence. It can be found across economic classes and political and social spectra. We can see it in religious believers of many different creeds, in humanists and atheists, in smokers and non-smokers, in vegetarians and omnivores, and on both the political left and the right. In fact people who have little else in common may share a tendency to self-righteous behavior. Yet it has no defenders, in the sense that no individuals would like to hear themselves or their friends described as self-righteous. It is difficult to imagine the non-sarcastic avowal of claims such as, “Spending time with Bob is enjoyable, since he is really self-righteous” or “Jane would make a great colleague because she is so self-righteous.” The designation “self-righteous” is a condemnation, if not an outright insult. This is paradoxical, as righteousness or justice is an aspect, perhaps the very foundation, of self-righteousness. …