I basically agree, but I would say that that "lubricating" effect is still causal. I mean if something is stuck and lubricant is added and then it starts to move, well, the lubricant was at least one of the causes of its moving.
It's true that the major factor is the ideological shift away from caring about doing a good job. I'm not sure how to address that though.
A lubricant doesn't cause something to move, but it makes the movement easier. It doesn't apply the force, even if it reduces the force required to create the movement.
Causality is the force, not the modifiers.
Think about it this way:
We can make things less likely to move by removing the lubricants but we can add as much lubricant as we want and it won't start making things move.This is why I say "don't throw the baby out with the bath water" because we actually still want the baby. But we do want to address the root issues.
I want to be clear, there is not a singular factor.Normally we solve problems by breaking them down into little ones. But the harder version is finding what little ones result in the big one. It's like working from the top of a graph to find a node and it's children vs starting at a leaf.
Start with the little things. Start where you can. If you have the chance to make something better or hold someone to higher standards, try that. If you see someone else trying to, lend them a hand. Often we don't stick or necks out because we're afraid we're alone. But we're not. The "first follower" is one of the most important people in creating a group. They're a lubricant ;) You don't have to be first or take the most risks, but if you can make it easier for people to do so then that's still very helpfulI think I'm taking a more broad reading of causality than you. A lubricant can cause something to move, if the thing was previously stuck. Causality is not just "the" force, it is the totality of contributing factors to the event. If a dam bursts, then the weight of the water above it, the weakness of the sluice gate (or whatever), and the unseasonably warm weather that induced bolts to expand can all be causes.
> Start with the little things. Start where you can. If you have the chance to make something better or hold someone to higher standards, try that. If you see someone else trying to, lend them a hand.
I'm increasingly convinced that this isn't even close to sufficient. I mean, not to say it shouldn't be done, but I don't think that doing that is going to turn the tide against people doing the wrong thing. There needs to be more deliberate and forceful action to actually stop people doing the wrong things, not just encourage people doing the right things.