The Utilitarian Dimension of Praise

Pastor John: We try to give the impression that we are being moved by a spontaneous delight in something we admire, but we're not really being moved by spontaneous admiration. So flattery is a form of hypocrisy. It's legitimate to hope that our praise will produce more good behavior," he says. "But if we start making the utilitarian dimension of praise prominent, it will cease to be authentic and I think it will backfire"