Does selfishness ever bother you? - Page 4

lucksack · #31 10-12-2007, 10:00 AM

tarhee, I really don't think that is true. I think before doing anything we (even the most "unselfish" ones) weigh the benefits and drawbacks to that thing, and choose what is the most beneficial for us. The drawbacks include fear of having guilty conscience and respecting yourself less. It just varies how easily people feel guilty and what things they respect and how much. For example having a painful life may increase empathy and disrespect for selfishness (if pain has been caused to the person by other people) while relatively nice and easy life does not cause this disrespect (and may cause the opposite), and genes obviously probably matter too.

It's hard to discuss this if you don't agree with me about the way our brains probably function.

lucksack · #32 10-13-2007, 03:04 AM

Do you people seriously live your whole lives in an imaginary world where people truly care about something else besides themselves? You can check wikipedia for a little more info on psychological egoism: link. As is obvious, I strongly "believe" in this theory, and I think it's intuitively quite obvious that it's correct, at least from an atheistic point of view, and the critics are quite weak. Anyone agree with me?

But it sure isn't a nice feeling that everyone around is trying to exploit me maximally, and that's why I posted this..

tarheeljks · #33 10-13-2007, 03:08 AM

selfishness in general does bother me; however,

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Do you people seriously live your whole lives in an imaginary world where people truly care about something else besides themselves?

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i'm a fairly cynical person and i believe that i do live in such a world.

i think psychological egoism has some merit but i don't think it is correct in an absolute sense. i think people tend to act in their own interest, but that they are more than capable of acting altruistically.

lucksack · #34 10-13-2007, 03:53 AM

The problem is that while I can give an egoistic explanation to any seemingly altruistic/non-selfinterested act you can name (for example charity, jumping on a grenade, brain in the vat, revenge), it's practically impossible to prove/disprove (because we don't know nearly that well how our brains work). So you all opt for the nicer and easier option, when there's no waterproof evidence for either side?

Mat Sklansky · #35 10-13-2007, 04:30 AM

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But it sure isn't a nice feeling that everyone around is trying to exploit me maximally, and that's why I posted this..

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exploitation works two ways, baby. <font color="red">kisses and bubblegum</font> [img]/images/graemlins/mad.gif[/img]

lucksack · #36 10-13-2007, 04:43 AM

But in the end it's still only exploitation in both cases.

Mat Sklansky · #37 10-13-2007, 04:48 AM

mutual (fill in the blank)

i choose orgasm. that's just me.

lucksack · #38 10-13-2007, 05:18 AM

insurance?

katyseagull · #39 10-13-2007, 10:16 AM

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Do you people seriously live your whole lives in an imaginary world where people truly care about something else besides themselves?

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You've got a bit of a bad attitude mister. If you're constantly looking for proof that people are exploiting you and that they care only about themselves then you will always see the evidence of it won't you?

tarheeljks · #40 10-13-2007, 11:23 AM

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So you all opt for the nicer and easier option, when there's no waterproof evidence for either side?

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not necessarily. why can't we evaluate it on case by case basis? also i don't think it's necessarily the easier option as there are plenty of people who would prefer to assume that people are selfish or just bad.