Why we have a moral duty to acknowledge strangers

Being shunned causes acute social pain. So is greeting people we don’t know a social convention, or an ethical obligation?

By Kimberley Brownlee

Strangers social distance at a bus stop in Stockwell, London, on 20 May 2020.(Photo By Dominika Zarzycka/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

Here is an interesting bit of human behaviour. If a stranger meets our eye and smiles benignly as they pass us on the street, most of us will smile back. If a stranger addresses us politely, many of us will stop and listen to them. And, if a stranger asks us for the time, for directions, or for us to watch their bag for a minute, many of us will try to help.

In fact, in specific places – wooded paths, mountain trails and friendly towns – we tend to go further and share a pleasantry with almost every stranger we meet.