Bismarck was a master of "doing the right thing for the wrong reasons". He also created the world's first social healthcare system - mainly so working-class people wouldn't support the socialists.

recycled comment from : https://lemmy.world/post/36069507/19447788

I swear to fucking god that it's not even that; it's people that care for others, and people that are willfully ignorant that it's actually pragmatically cheaper and more efficient to care for others than to treat them like shit.

Pandemic as an example : the more you stay indoors and try to stop the spread of the virus, the faster the pandemic ends and the faster YOU can get back to normal. FORGET that it also stops people dying and protects the vulnerable, it's in YOUR SELFISH INTEREST.

Or having a basic system of social welfare : giving bread to a poor person costs the price of the bread. Having to imprison them, pay for cops, repair of broken things, investigations etc costs more fucking money. even if you hate people and want them to die, it's fucking CHEAPER FOR YOU.

Fucking pragmatism is meant to lead to ethical behaviour