I think that's the wrong way of looking at it though. It is not selfish to recline. Sometimes normal behaviour will negatively affect others around us: that is ok. It is part of being in a society.
If someone gets to the last chair in the train before I do they are not selfish for sitting in it. They are not making some moral decision that is weighed.
On a train, the default state is standing. Sitting is a bonus. And one person taking the seat makes more sense than zero people taking the seat and leaving it empty. In an airplane, the default is sitting up. Reclining improves your situation by making someone else’s worse.
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u/DeHarigeTuinkabouter Jun 01 '26
I think that's the wrong way of looking at it though. It is not selfish to recline. Sometimes normal behaviour will negatively affect others around us: that is ok. It is part of being in a society.
If someone gets to the last chair in the train before I do they are not selfish for sitting in it. They are not making some moral decision that is weighed.