The psychologist Lawrence Kohlberg believed humans developed through stages of moral reasoning in their lives, from doing good because we are told to do good, to doing good for rewards, to doing good to fit into social groups, to doing good because reason impels us. I think, I “do good” for all the reasons Kohlberg identifies, but also because I’m biologically hard wired to do so due to evolutionary pressures. Cooperation is a highly valued personality trait that probably contributes more to our survivability than we give it credit for.

Sources:

• Psychologist Lawrence Kohlberg
• Stephen Post, Director of the Center for Medical Humanities at Stony Brook
• UCLA professor Naomi Eisenberger
• Robert Ingersoll, 19th century agnostic activist
• Sue Brewton discusses Lincoln in this article: https://suebrewton.com/2016/01/31/no-that-is-not-what-abraham-lincoln-said/