Britannica describes emotivism as "the view that moral judgments do not function as statements of fact but rather as expressions of the speaker's or writer's feelings." it's something i learned about through the modern-day philosopher Alex O' Connor.
i've been thinking a lot about whether this idea is actually true. are morals just a product of our feelings? if that's the case, then there's really no such thing as the right thing to do
instead, the 'right thing to do' – in a moral sense – is just whatever feels right. make sense? "don't steal because you don't want to be stolen from" – that kind of idea
i'm writing this to extend that idea—make it a little more personal, more grounded in what i've been feeling lately.
my claim is simple: you should just do what feels right to you. because it's actually wrong to do otherwise.
you shouldn't force yourself to start your day with emails just because "that's what productive people do." if you feel like writing music first thing in the morning, do that. you shouldn't say yes to going out on a thursday night just because everyone in your group chat is hyped: if you'd rather stay in and watch a documentary or literally just be alone, that's valid. yes, sometimes doing something might benefit others—like giving a gift—but if you didn't want to give that gift, then it actually harms you. you walk away feeling drained, like you gave up time or energy or money—and the worst part is, you never wanted to give it in the first place. it wasn't generosity, it was sacrifice without meaning.
it's a weird thought, but hear me out
take volunteering, for example. imagine you're organizing a beach clean-up, and someone shows up just to pad their resume or tick a box on a college app. they’re half-engaged, checking their phone, clearly wishing they were somewhere else. would you really want that kind of person next to you? probably not. but society still says "everyone should be selfless and give to others," as if the act matters more than the intention.
should they, though? and if so, to what extent?
i was asked recently by a club i wanted to join: "what charity or volunteer work have you done?" and i'm lucky: i have done volunteer-type stuff. but the thing is, it never felt like volunteering. i just genuinely wanted to do it. i volunteered at a school to teach a club – i did it because i enjoyed teaching + i love pottery – and that's how i've always been. if i don't want to do something, then i won't. it feels entirely wrong to go against that gut instinct.
now, let's zoom out: career, hobbies, life in general. i love making music, i love programming, i love learning languages. the list goes on. but how am i actually choosing how to spend my time each day?
at first, i tried being systematic: "spend x hours on this, y hours on that"—but that quickly fell apart. some days i just didn't feel like doing something, and honestly? that's okay.
what i think is really cool about this is the idea that you can reframe whatever you choose to do. because people make decisions based on emotions, and i believe there's truth and reason within those emotions.
it's like the art of selling, actually. how can i "sell" these hobbies as parts of who i am? how do i justify making music (which seems intangible and entertainment-driven) and trying to change the world (which feels solid and humanitarian)?
for me, the answer is obvious: i'm not going to let the fear of "wasting time" (more on this in an upcoming post) or "not fitting my personal brand" stop me.
fear should never steer you.
go and do what everyone else is doing. or do what no one is doing. or do something right in between. you're allowed to.
but throughout all of this—just like how you shouldn't suppress emotions—you also shouldn't suppress your desire to do something.
i've lived on both ends: over-suppressing vs. doing things impulsively. there's definitely a favorite. and my hypothesis (limit to infinity) is this: you'll find something you love so much that there's no way you'd choose anything else. if that's not the case, then maybe that thing just ain't it.
and for a final word: just like people criticise emotivism, people will criticise this idea, and that's okay.
email me. i'm open to changing my mind.