Does Opinion Matter?

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Montaigne, in his second essay, suggests that the person whom people believe to be great—one who performs good deeds and acts in ways that draw attention to himself—should not be expected to provide genuine help or service. This type of individual may engage in charitable actions or show goodwill towards others primarily for the sake of appearing virtuous. Generally, such a person is unlikely to lend a hand or assist others if there is no opportunity for personal reputation, honor, or glory to be gained (Adler, 1952a, p. 303).

As the composer of the blog of Palate and Pabulum, oftentimes, the recognition of a job well done came about from the circumstances and perceptions of others in the hospital setting. Where no other person was aware, but through helping others, and in the perception of a thoughtful patient, thinking it worthwhile to acknowledge, for instance, in execellent service rendered, ran it up the chain of command so to speak to demonstrate their gratitude for a job well done, unbeknown to the author of this blog at the time of the service. Although we are recognized for excellent service, is that why we do the things we do? Is it because we deep down inside need to be acknowledged or feel significant in this world?

This question has been the subject of great discussion since ancient times. The patriarhcs of our world, wrestled with it, exploring topics such as honor, praise, virtue, and the like, and even daring to say that theological circles have much to say, in general, according to Soutwick et al. (2023), great philosophical ideas and religious conversations have taken place for over two millennia to discuss other aspects such as right and wrong elements of morality.

The sole belief that we are all self-centered, according to Erickson (2013, p. 563), does not help the case of humanity, if one believes that we are inately corrupt. At the bare bones of our existence, all people will try to put their best foot forward, trying to cover up blemishes, shortcomings, and weaknesses, and striving to grasp for ourselves and secure those objectives without a care for the next person, who, at the same time, is trying to procure and meet their selfish desire.

William James, the renowned twentieth-century philosopher, acknowledges the same when he addresses the concept of self, strictly speaking, of the social self, or the fact that all people are social creatures, and such constitutes the acknowledgment that a person gets from being a social creature (Adler, 1952b, p. 189). In his essay on The Consciousness of Self, William James states that as a higher-level thinking animal, we have this instinct to get ourselves noticed by other people. Further, this instinct, as a need, must be met; we crave the popular opinion of others.

References:

Adler, Mortimer J. (1952a). The Essays of Michel Eyquem de Montaigne. In The Great Books of the Western World. (Vol. 25). Encyclopedia Britannica.

Adler, Mortimer J. (1952b). William James. In The Great Books of the Western World. (Vol. 53). Encyclopedia Britannica.

Erickson, M. J. (2013). Christian theology (3rd ed.). Baker.

Southwick, S. M., Charney, D. S., & DePierro, J. M. (2023). Resilience: The science of mastering life's most significant challenges. Cambridge University Press.