People are fundamentally selfish

[obligatoryshackles]

Humans are, by nature, selfish. That's just a fact of life - we all look out for ourselves first and foremost.

There is nothing anyone can do to change that.

"Selflessness" does not exist - only people who have convinced themselves that being "selfless" is beneficial to themselves exist. No one is selfless for no gain to themselves - it's just that sometimes that gain is not a material one. If people are selfless not for some material or relational gain they are selfish for some spiritual gain - self satisfaction, virtue signaling, or to put it less cynically, just to feel good about themselves. Even being selfless out of some penance, in which the selfless act causes oneself suffering, it still comes with a form of catharsis or other such reward. Otherwise, people simply would never be selfless.

And I think there is nothing wrong with that. It's just how we are. Why label that as evil or amoral? We've made it work. Society and civilization are literally the greatest proofs that we've overcome the massive, existential Prisoner's Dilemma that is life.

So rather than faulting ourselves for our nature, let's celebrate our overcoming of it, even if it's only partial and fragile.

 

[gekkonimorph]

I agree completely. We don't act wholly selflessly but we can get pretty close.

There is a real dopamine boost we get when we act selflessly for the good of people in the 'tribe'. I think one of the problems with modern society is that it is structured in such a way that the natural human ability for selflessness is suppressed. In a workplace or classroom you might get along with people but at the end of the day there's nothing at stake tying you together. It's hard to give a shit about your fellow man when you're like dogs from different packs. I don't think it's a healthy way to structure society.

 

[DEATH IS FREEDOM]

All animals are selfish - otherwise they would not survive. Humans are only animals - so why would not humans be selfish?

 

[Suicidebydeath]

It's true. I can look back at my past interactions and think I could always have been better, with few exceptions.