This theory posits that many seemingly generous acts are not driven by genuine concern for others but are strategic behaviors aimed at building a positive reputation. Such a reputation can provide future benefits to the individual, reframing the action as a form of self-interest with a long time horizon. This view, which questions the need to formally model unselfishness in economics, is encapsulated by H.L. Mencken's idea that conscience is merely the 'inner voice which warns that somebody may be looking.'