We're all Selfish

Almost everything we do in life can be linked to some selfish desire of our own.

A few examples:

1. Giving charity, although it helps someone else, ends up giving us a sense of satisfaction that makes us feel good about ourselves.

2. People who throw themselves in front of a bullet do so becase:
A. They can't imagine life without that person
B. They don't really care much about their life
C. Like the idea of being a hero

The only true selfless act would be to do something you don't want to do, that you don't like, that would help someone, that would hurt your life, and cause you all over harm and no good at all.

At 10/27/2009 3:35:56 PM, crackofdawn_Jr wrote:

2. People who throw themselves in front of a bullet do so becase:
A. They can't imagine life without that person
B. They don't really care much about their life
C. Like the idea of being a hero

Don't forget duty.

The only true selfless act would be to do something you don't want to do, that you don't like, that would help someone, that would hurt your life, and cause you all over harm and no good at all.

Do you have an example of such an act?

I certainly agree that we are all selfish. But it is folly to go the next step and claim that all of our actions are selfish.

You provided you own example of a selfless act: jumping in front of a bullet, or on a grenade. This is often done in a split second decision (without time to decide that you want to be a hero). They do so knowing that they are likely to die. They don't get any benefit from it (most combat on the field like this does not get recognized, so that rules out the desire to be a hero).

At 10/27/2009 3:38:45 PM, Maikuru wrote:

At 10/27/2009 3:35:56 PM, crackofdawn_Jr wrote:

2. People who throw themselves in front of a bullet do so becase:
A. They can't imagine life without that person
B. They don't really care much about their life
C. Like the idea of being a hero

Don't forget duty.

You're right

The only true selfless act would be to do something you don't want to do, that you don't like, that would help someone, that would hurt your life, and cause you all over harm and no good at all.

Do you have an example of such an act?

At 10/27/2009 3:39:47 PM, JBlake wrote:
I certainly agree that we are all selfish. But it is folly to go the next step and claim that all of our actions are selfish.

You provided you own example of a selfless act: jumping in front of a bullet, or on a grenade. This is often done in a split second decision (without time to decide that you want to be a hero). They do so knowing that they are likely to die. They don't get any benefit from it (most combat on the field like this does not get recognized, so that rules out the desire to be a hero).

I believe that unconsciously they do know. Espcially since that hardly any of them could live with it if they knew they could save someone else but didn't. If they chose not too, then this as well would be selfish as they would be choosing their life over the lives of others.

At 10/27/2009 3:39:47 PM, JBlake wrote:
I certainly agree that we are all selfish. But it is folly to go the next step and claim that all of our actions are selfish.

You provided you own example of a selfless act: jumping in front of a bullet, or on a grenade. This is often done in a split second decision (without time to decide that you want to be a hero). They do so knowing that they are likely to die. They don't get any benefit from it (most combat on the field like this does not get recognized, so that rules out the desire to be a hero).

But, you also have to remember that, the person could also have taken a bullet to spare themselves the pain of watching someone important die, and the guilt of having to live for years with that person's death (which could have been prevented). So, in its own way, the action is still selfish, in that the person is taking the bullet more to satisfy their own conscience.

At 10/27/2009 3:43:27 PM, Cody_Franklin wrote:
But, you also have to remember that, the person could also have taken a bullet to spare themselves the pain of watching someone important die, and the guilt of having to live for years with that person's death (which could have been prevented). So, in its own way, the action is still selfish, in that the person is taking the bullet more to satisfy their own conscience.

You assume that they have enough time to consider all of those things in an instant.

At 10/27/2009 4:00:49 PM, JBlake wrote:

At 10/27/2009 3:43:27 PM, Cody_Franklin wrote:
But, you also have to remember that, the person could also have taken a bullet to spare themselves the pain of watching someone important die, and the guilt of having to live for years with that person's death (which could have been prevented). So, in its own way, the action is still selfish, in that the person is taking the bullet more to satisfy their own conscience.

You assume that they have enough time to consider all of those things in an instant.

I don't assume that they're sitting down and contemplating this for a long period of time, no, but that doesn't rule out consideration of the whole "being unable to live with someone's death on the conscience" idea.

At 10/27/2009 4:07:48 PM, Cody_Franklin wrote:

At 10/27/2009 4:00:49 PM, JBlake wrote:

At 10/27/2009 3:43:27 PM, Cody_Franklin wrote:
But, you also have to remember that, the person could also have taken a bullet to spare themselves the pain of watching someone important die, and the guilt of having to live for years with that person's death (which could have been prevented). So, in its own way, the action is still selfish, in that the person is taking the bullet more to satisfy their own conscience.

You assume that they have enough time to consider all of those things in an instant.

I don't assume that they're sitting down and contemplating this for a long period of time, no, but that doesn't rule out consideration of the whole "being unable to live with someone's death on the conscience" idea.

I contend that there is not enough time, in such instances, for that to even come to their consideration.

But further, that only serves as evidence from the opposite side. To be selfish is to put your needs for survival first. To jump in front of a bullet or jump on a grenade because you could not live with their death on your conscious, is a selfless act.

You should read The Selfish Gene.