Causes of personal MISCONDUCT: Ignorance & Weakness of Will Ignorance: 2 forms, 1. We can be ignorant about what is right or wrong. 2. We can be ignorant about whether a particular thing is in the category we identify as right or wrong. Example for the 1 st form: someone may tell a lie because they don’t understand that lying is wrong. Example for the 2 nd form: also tell a lie when they just bend the truth a little, perhaps to avoid hurting someone’s feelings. They don’t see their act as telling a lie, but as avoiding hurt feelings. Weakness of Will: self-interest A person with a weak will wants to do the right thing, but they have desires that conflict with this. Some of things that conflict with our desire to do the right thing are our desire to gain something for ourselves, our desire for approval, or our fear of disapproval of punishment. Example: Everyone else is doing it. I’m not powerful enough to really make a difference. I’m a nice person so this can’t really be that bad. Being a good friend means looking the other way. **we deny we are doing anything wrong, blame our victims, the world just isn’t fair, it’s not our fault, point out that they are people who are much worse than we are, we are only doing what we are told, blame our parents, our therapist, our spouse, or our children. **Jean Paul Sartre, a famous French philosopher who was one of the founders of Existentialism, described this kind of person as LACKING AUTHENTICITY.