Tell Me Something Good
“Tell me something good” is an ethical concept that encourages positivity in conversations and interactions. The need to spread positivity emanates from the daily challenges people undergo at work or their day-to-day engagements. The ethical implication of “tell me something good” is informed by the request for positive news. For instance, people undertaking challenging tasks such as programming spend long hours at work and may end up exhausted at the end of the day. Such individuals require “tell me something good” moments where they can break away from challenging tasks. In the same breath, the emerging constant social media usage exposes people to negativity shared across different social media platforms. “Tell me something good” is deeply rooted in philosophical principles such as hedonism, utilitarianism, Buddhism, Kant’s ethics, Aristotle’s virtue-based principles, and the 7-noble truth. “Tell me something good” represents moments when people pause, reflect, and hone on the positives.
The concept of “tell me something good” aligns with ethical hedonism, the claim that only pleasure has positive importance and only displeasure has negative importance. Hedonism implies that relationships, character states, achievements, knowledge, and so forth do not have instrumental significance and that there is only displeasure and pleasure in their nature (Moore, 2013). These factors attain instrumental significance based on the pleasure or displeasure attained from them. According to hedonists, pleasure is good whenever it is had, even if it involves worthless and worse pursuits (Moore, 2013). This principle justifies the habit of people meeting up to engage in pleasure even without any constructive engagements, be it a beer on a Friday evening or a roadside lazy chat. The ultimate goal of having these pleasures is to get the opportunity to create happiness. Besides, focusing on positive news goes a long way to reducing stress, creating a perfect emotional state that enhances one’s overall well-being.
Positivism can also be viewed from the lens of utilitarianism, whose ethical maxim is anything that brings the greatest good. According to utilitarianism, the morality of an action is judged based on the utility it brings at the end and not the action itself (Bevir, 2002). Utilitarianism aligns with the common saying, “The end justifies the means.” To that end, the ethical purpose of “tell me something good” is to create happiness among the largest number of people. Sharing positive news in a social circle creates a sense of community and solidifies interpersonal relationships (Bevir, 2002). For instance, when friends are having a conflict, the parties to the conflict may choose to say negative words to one another to boost their ego. Alternatively, these friends may choose to say kind things even in the face of hostility to resolve the conflict. Based on this example, friends sacrifice their egos to ease the tension with others, and as per utilitarianism, this is the ethical maxim in the situation. Therefore, according to the utilitarian concept, “tell me something good,” or positivity, is a moral duty that goes a long way to increase happiness and bolster the overall well-being of a social group.
Moreover, Buddhism, which encompasses religious principles, encourages the alleviation of suffering by sharing positive news. This perspective is based on the 7-noble truths, which encourage people to get rid of suffering by embracing compassion and exchanging positive news (Tanabe, 2016). The first truth, as per the Buddhist perspective, is that life is filled with suffering and trouble (Tanabe, 2016). This perspective is not pessimistic but rather an admission that there are issues that bother individuals inherently, hence the need to establish the underlying cause. The second truth proposes the cause of human suffering as the mental state of attachment, characterized by the desire to obsess over things one is accustomed to (Tanabe, 2016). One is likely to push away positive views only to stick to the negative news they are accustomed to, largely due to ignorance. The third truth avers that for one to alleviate suffering, one must know its root causes and address them (Tanabe, 2016). The fourth truth that aligns with positivism is that for one to alleviate suffering, one must follow the eightfold path, which entails the right speech, right action, and right livelihood, among others (Tanabe, 2016). These concepts align with the “tell me something good,” which is all about positivity—having positive speech and only consuming positive news.
Furthermore, Kantian ethics on respect for other persons emphasizes the need for people to treat others as an end and not a means to an end. Kant places the duty to respect and love other persons on individuals. The duty to respect others embodies a negative and positive requirement. To love others, one should find motivation to engage in certain actions, whereas respecting other people entails refraining from certain actions that may make the other person feel degraded (Kriegel & Timmons, 2021). In the same breath, Kant affirms that the doctrine of virtue may be used to encourage respect toward others, and this includes the duty to refrain from arrogance, defamation, and ridicule (Kriegel & Timmons, 2021). Looking at Kant’s position from the perspective of positivism, there is a need for individuals to say nice things to their counterparts and avoid negativity by all means. The lack of modesty in speech may lead to others feeling disrespected, leading to more suffering. Embracing and promoting positivity, on the other hand, bolsters the human spirit and makes people feel better about themselves.
The “tell me something good” concept refers to the need for people to break away from the problems and negative news they are accustomed to and embrace positivism. This concept is based on the fact that when people focus on negativity, they may end up unhappy. As shown above, positivity is rooted in different psychological concepts, including utilitarianism, Kantianism, Buddhism and the 7-noble truths, Aristotle’s virtue-based ethics, and hedonism. Ethical hedonism avers that the things people do or the property they possess do not have instrumental importance unless they are judged based on the pleasure or the displeasure they may cause. As such, anything that gives pleasure, including consuming positivity, is vital for triggering happiness. From the utilitarian perspective, positivity is an ethical maxim since anything that brings the greatest happiness and least suffering is worth embracing. On the other hand, Buddhism and the 7-noble truths imply that suffering is real, recommending strategies people may use to alleviate suffering. Accordingly, as per Buddhism, there is a need to understand underlying issues that cause suffering and engage in the right action, speech, and livelihood. Further, Kantian ethics aver that people have the duty to respect one another by embracing modesty. According to Kant, modesty is the ultimate strategy toward positivity and happiness, and it encompasses refraining from arrogance, ridicule, and defamation. Overall, consuming positivity is core to attaining happiness and developing optimism toward life.
References
Bevir, M. (2002). Sidney Webb: Utilitarianism, positivism, and social democracy. Journal of Modern History, 74. https://escholarship.org/uc/item/7vm01529
Kriegel, U., & Timmons, M. (2021). The phenomenology of Kantian respect. Respect: Philosophical essays, 77.
Moore, A. (2013, October 17). Hedonism (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy). Stanford.edu. https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/hedonism/
Tanabe, J. (2016). Buddhism and peace theory: Exploring a Buddhist inner peace. International Journal of Peace Studies, 21(2). https://www3.gmu.edu/programs/icar/ijps/vol21_2/Tanabe%20FINAL.pdf
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Question 
Tell Me Something Good
What is the ethical purpose of “tell me something good”? (make certain your essay is at least 5 paragraphs and includes information we discussed in class). The information discussed in this class was about hedonism, utilitarianism, Aristotle’s virtue-based, Kant-based ethics, and Buddhism, the 7 noble truths. Please these theories we learned in class to write your essay.
To the writer please those terms and incorporate them when writing.