contrasted with positive exemplars, like Mother Teresa or Gandhi. While it is difficult to make such comparisons on a large scale, misanthropes have argued that at least for important subfields, like man's treatment of animals, the scales are tipped against man. Misanthropes often argue that positive achievements are rare exceptions while negative consequences are much more widespread. Another argument favoring misanthropy, sometimes referred to as the asymmetry thesis, holds that morally bad actions carry more weight on an ethical level than their good counterparts. In this regard, a person cannot simply make up for the cold murders they committed by saving a few lives. Some objections to misanthropy are based not on whether this attitude appropriately reflects the negative value of humanity but on the costs of accepting such a position, for the individual and for society at large. This is especially relevant if misanthropy is associated with hatred, which may turn easily into violence against social institutions and other humans and may result in a lot of harm. Misanthropy may also deprive the individual of most pleasures by making them miserable and friendless. Defenders have pointed out that misanthropy is not necessarily connected to hatred, violence, and friendlessness. So these criticisms may be valid for forms of misanthropy focused on hatred and destruction but miss their target for other forms based on a peaceful and theoretical outlook. A closely related criticism holds that misanthropy is morally objectable. This argument may be valid for many individual misanthropes but it has been argued that misanthropy is not necessarily in conflict with obeying the demands of morality. An example of this would be Kant's "cold-hearted benefactor", who fulfills all their moral requirements toward other people despite lacking real sympathy. Another form of criticism focuses more on the theoretical level and claims that misanthropy is an inconsistent and self-contradictory position that amounts at best to a "proto-philosophy or sub-philosophy". This inconsistency shows itself, for example, in the misanthrope's tendency to denounce the social world while still being engaged in it and being unable to fully leave it behind. This criticism applies specifically to misanthropes who exclude themselves from the negative evaluation and look down on others with contempt from an arrogant position of inflated ego. But it may not apply to all types of misanthropy. A closely related objection is based on the claim that misanthropy is an unnatural attitude and should therefore