But can the question of ‘intentions’ ever be clearly discerned? And even if it is, does it matter so much?
Imagine a wealthy person who is asked (before his friends) to make a donation to a charity. He does so, and gives generously.
His motivation may primarily have been that he wants to ‘look good’. He might be motivate (to some degree) by an altruistic instinct, or a religious perspective. Maybe his desire to ‘look good to others’ is totally subconscious- he is not aware of it himself.
What I am suggesting is that the desire to ‘appear to be good’ (i.e. vanity), may actually be an effective tendency towards good actions (and so really a kind a virtue).
If we imagine the opposite extreme- a person wholly free of concern for what others think of them, who can say “I couldn’t care less how others regard me.” Would such a person be a saint- or a criminal? I suppose either is possible, but the absence of vanity in such a person (although they may have a great deal of pride) could well be dangerous, and perhaps indicate a devaluing of other human beings.
In answer to your question- yes, I would feel safer if the pilot and co-pilot were under constant surveillance (but not for the reason of bad language)!
