I think the implication is that undeserved guilt serves to signal to others—once the event has actually happened—that those things were not in your self interest. Everyone can see they weren’t, because you are publicly paying a higher cost than the benefit you would receive for having caused them.
Vanilla guilt perhaps helps, but it’s a much less powerful signal to the community. First, you must have committed a crime in the past, so they can know that you are a guilt-feeling person. Second, they have to trust that your personality hasn’t changed since then. Third, they have to know about/remember the incident in question, and fourth they have to make the mental leap of using that memory as evidence in this situation.
First, you must have committed a crime in the past, so they can know that you are a guilt-feeling person. Second, they have to trust that your personality hasn’t changed since then. Third, they have to know about/remember the incident in question, and fourth they have to make the mental leap of using that memory as evidence in this situation.
Those reasons do make sense. I think the post should mention them.
Feeling bad for actually having committed a crime.
I think the implication is that undeserved guilt serves to signal to others—once the event has actually happened—that those things were not in your self interest. Everyone can see they weren’t, because you are publicly paying a higher cost than the benefit you would receive for having caused them.
Vanilla guilt perhaps helps, but it’s a much less powerful signal to the community. First, you must have committed a crime in the past, so they can know that you are a guilt-feeling person. Second, they have to trust that your personality hasn’t changed since then. Third, they have to know about/remember the incident in question, and fourth they have to make the mental leap of using that memory as evidence in this situation.
Those reasons do make sense. I think the post should mention them.