On being self-centered

[felson]

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felson,
I don't think your point about "should" is relevant. What I'm asking doesn't change if we omit "should anyone" and just say "Why consider anything but my own well-being."

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Fair enough. I was trying to clarify that there are two possible answers to that question: self-benefit and moral obligation.

The first answer doesn't mean anything.

Some people don't think the second answer is valid. They don't believe in absolute right/wrong, or they agree with Rand. I happen to think that position is incorrect.

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"If "should" is meant in the second sense, then the answer depends on whether you believe in absolute right and wrong. From your answer regarding murder, you apparently don't. In that case, "should" loses meaning."

Great point.

You're right, I don't believe in absolute right and wrong - I think these are human-imposed judgments in the same sense that "heat" is an imposed judgment by sentient beings on the movement of tiny particles.

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Heat is an objective reality. Without heat, the first law of thermodynamics (conservation of energy) would not be true. So heat is a real property quantified in physics, not a human-imposed judgment.

This may seem like a nitpick, but it's not. If physical properties of the universe are interpreted as arbitrary, it's no surprise that moral laws would be seen that way as well.

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Are you saying that in the absence of absolute right and wrong there is nothing to consider other than one's own well-being?

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If there's no such thing as "wrong," then it can't be "wrong" to consider only what you want. (That is how you get ideas like murder for fun, which to me are ridiculous.)

As has been said elsewhere in this thread, it makes most people happy when their family, friends, neighbors, and other strangers are happy. You are probably no exception. So being nice to other people will probably make you happy too.

In doing so, are you only considering your own well-being? Maybe. I'm not going to argue it either way.