Richard
On Motive
�There are two motives for reading a book: One, that you enjoy it, the other that you can boast about it.� Bertrand Russell, The Conquest of Happiness
I chose the above quote because I feel it illustrates the point I hope to make in this dialogue well. Here I am truly sowing the seeds of cynicism. It sounds like that because� well, because I am. You don't have to be a conspiracy theorist to know that there are motivations, both clear and unclear, veiled and obvious, in the world.
However, this isn't just about pinning motives to the actions of others. It is about looking at your own motives. Ask yourself;
Why do I believe/ support/ do this?
(e.g. Because it will make me money? Because it will help my country? Because it will satisfy my sexual impulses?)
Why do other people think I believe/ support/ do this?
(Do the people watching me believe I am motivated by greed? Or do they think I wish to see others profit before myself?)
How do I WANT other people to think I believe/ support/ do this?
(i.e. Do I want them to know my true motives, or do I want people to believe my motivation is different? e.g. I want them to believe my actions show a strong work ethic rather than to make money.)
Motives can be divided, broadly speaking, into two categories:
Motives of PRINCIPLE. This is more than a motivation, it is a conviction that the action/ belief/ line of argument, etc. is correct not because you hope to gain an advantage out of it, but because you believe it is the Right Thing. In the opening quotation the motive of principle is �that you enjoy it�; the idea is that you are reading because you feel that the purpose of reading a book is to enjoy it, not as a means of massaging your own ego.
Motives of EXPEDIENCE. The motivation here is to further ones own end, or to gain a partisan advantage. In the opening quotation the expedient motive is �that you can boast about it�; the idea is that you are reading it in order to make yourself look good and hence gain the tactical advantage.
The best way to illustrate these categories, I feel, is through examples. So, here goes. Look at each example and think of the underlying motives yourself, don't just rely on the 'answers' I give, which are far from comprehensive.
Example: A man sees Communism as his political ideal.
Motive of Principle: He feels that all men are equal, and that to allow men to suffer because of their class or income is immoral; he believes that all men have a right to prosper and be happy, and that capitalism and its drive for cost cutting and profit means that workers are treated as commodities, not people.
Motive of Expedience: He envies the rich, and is jealous of what they have; he is poor, and seeks a share of the spoils through redistribution of the wealth.
Example: A religion denies Darwin's theory of evolution.
Motive of Principle: They believe that the Bible is literally correct, having been inspired by the Holy Spirit; they believe that as we were made in the spiritual image of God, we cannot have been descended from animals without the same sense of moral relativity.
Motive of Expedience: They find it hard to adapt their rigid faith to such challenges; they feel that if this 'truth' falls, other truths may soon come under challenge.
Example: The manager of a company institutes a salary scheme whereby workers receive payments based on results.
Motive of Principle: The manager feels that it is fair that the workers share in the prosperity of the company according to their participation. He feels that it is only right that those who are more productive receive more than those who are less productive.
Motive of Expedience: The manager hopes to increase productivity by forcing the less productive to come up to standard in order to earn a reasonable sum of many, and by encouraging the more productive to increase productivity further in order to earn a bonus.
Example: A nation refuses to participate in a sporting event which is being hosted in a nation towards which it is hostile.
Motive of Principle: They do not feel it appropriate to engage in sporting events with a nation who they are oppose politically and potentially militarily; they believe that the nation's hosting of the event is an inappropriate gesture of support for their enemy.
Motive of Expedience: They believe that their enemy will be more successful than them in the sporting event, especially on home soil, and could possibly humiliate them, damaging national morale.
Example: An Imperialistic nation aggressively claims territory in the developing world.
Motive of Principle: The aggressor nation feels that the people in the land they are claiming are suffering as a result of poor economic management and corruption; they feel that with western technology and a more accountable political system they can help the nation to develop and rise out of its poverty.
Motive of Expedience: They want to use the people within the developing nation as cheaper labour and to take advantage of its natural resources.
Example: A politician opposes Abortion.
Motive of Principle: He believes that all have the right to live, and that an embryo, having the potential to develop in the same way as you or I, should be given that opportunity; He believes that an embryo is alive, just in an early stage of development, and therefore to abort would be to kill.
Motive of Expedience: He wants to win the support of Christians who also oppose abortion.
As you can see, every action has many motivations behind it. In learning to better understand yourself (which is what we are all doing, always), make sure you know what your motives are. Do you deceive yourself by believing you are motivated by principle when really you are trying to further your own end? Or even the opposite: do you feel that being 'dark', you are not allowed principles, and so cover them up with motives of expedience? Take time to examine your motives, and to make sure you are clear about them. Without purpose and objective we are but sheep. Self deceit is a poor tactic. You are your own best ally. Work with yourself, not against yourself. Also, look at where you get these motivations. Are they your own? Do you believe it's expedient because someone else told you it was? Were your principles handed down from your parents? Have you developed the motives independently, or at least examined them and not followed them without conscious thought?
We can also see from the above examples that things aren't black and white. The motives aren't mutually exclusive; they can exist together. It's not a case of �either/or�.
As the last section of this dialogue, I would like to commend the following quotation to your attention. Michael Heseltine, a British Conservative politician, was addressing the party after riots in Liverpool. He argued that it was the duty of the government to help the predominantly black community that had been rioting to enjoy the prosperity, using the following words: �They live here. They vote here.�
They live here: The motive here is one of principle, the principle being that it is the duty of the government to help all of the country regardless of how they voted. We are one nation, let us go forward together, united we stand, divided we fall, and all that waffle.
They vote here: The motive here is one of expedience. It's a basic �we scratch their back and they'll scratch ours� tactic. If the party helps them, they'll vote for the party in return; everyone's happy.
And this brings us on to the last point of this dialogue; the motive behind motive. WHY did Michael Heseltine express these motives? Well, just as a quick case study, it's simple. The Conservative party contained (and still does contain) racists. This was just a few years after a fellow called Enoch Powell had made a racist speech at the Conservative conference expressing his beliefs that immigration would result in �rivers of blood�. So, Heseltine appreciated that expressing a principle of aiding the Black community in our country wasn't going to be very popular when speaking to a xenophobic audience. So, he showed the audience what THEY could gain from the deal; there were votes in it, and with the votes, the opportunity to keep the Conservatives in power.
And so the point I make to you. Always consider what motivation is going to be most appealing TO YOUR AUDIENCE. It's no point expressing your principles if you know they will not AGREE with those principles. So emphasise what THEY can gain. Emphasise what THEY will get out of the deal. Emphasise the motives of expedience.
And the counter balance; if you are perceived as being mainly motivated by expedience, this could soon cause problems as people fail to trust you and begin to believe that you are only furthering your own end. So, emphasise the principles behind your views, emphasise the high moral ground you are taking, emphasise your convictions.