Wahrheit Posted January 13, 2016 Author Report Share Posted January 13, 2016 Oh, how appreciative I am to be acknowledged by one with the gift of the gab! A tongue more silver than the average YCM League player! Anyway, if you know what solipsism is, then you would understand when I say I feel acknowledging a selfish human as a universal is not intended to be harmful or (as is commonly thought of self-interest) destructive to others. If you care for someone or something (because they make you happy), you will do what you can to satisfy it because it being happy also pleases the self. Charity/martyrdom/sacrifice should also be understood to be acts that satisfy oneself abstractly. Nobody sacrifices themselves for a cause they don't believe in. I just think that by coming to terms with selfishness being a necessary human trait, people can be happier for themselves/we can undeestand each other better and, if you value honesty, then at least your helping others becomes honest. Though you have to find some kind of solidarity against all the people who immediately dismiss because of the word "selfish." If you know Schopenhauer (you ought to if you art an artist or philosopher), then you (and the embracer of self-interest) should appreciate his "Talent hits a target no one else can hit; Genius hits a target no one else can see." I don't expect people to agree with me, anyway. Don't you understand? If this is true, why aren't people jumping at the opportunities to donate to charity or give to others? Selfishness is greed, it is irrational, and as explained above, it simply does not work. Greed drives ignorance of others, not compassion for them. Even if helping other people has a better return for you, it's not immediately apparent, so we don't act on it. If we acted in what we thought was our self-interest all the time, we would always take the chance to screw the other person for a small benefit to ourselves. see e.g. Prisoner's Dilemma. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
epicmemesbro Posted January 13, 2016 Report Share Posted January 13, 2016 There is a line between giving out of the goodness of your "heart" and giving for social acceptance, pressure, and things of that nature.The Morality Trap is the belief that you must obey a moral code created by someone else. If you're acting in ways you hope will satisfy someone else's concept of what is moral, chances are you're using an ill-suited code of conduct-one that won't lead you to what you want and that may trap you in commitments and complications that can only cause you unhappiness. So in terms of the trap, what you do isn't as significant as why you do it.You're in the trap if you hand a very important dollar to a beggar because "it's wrong to be selfish." Or if you continue to deal respectfully with someone who's made trouble for you because "to forgive is divine."Its best to set your own standards, rather than use the ones set by someone else. Just because you don't donate money you are seen as "selfish"; However, its your money, and it doesn't belong to those that judge you for not donating it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vla1ne Posted January 13, 2016 Report Share Posted January 13, 2016 as for bettering myself this year, i have a couple plans:1)get more exersise, i'm not really out of shape, but i'd like to remain in a form that doesn't resemble round.2)be a little less generous: i usually help people any time i can, but recently, i've been taking a lot more losses than gains, and some of the people i help never seem to learn from their mistakes, financially or otherwise. i'm not really mad about it, but this year, and the years following, i'm gonna start letting them hit the ground before i help them up. 3)i'm gonna have to get a better job: i say it a lot (not here, but elsewhere i do), but i need to get a better job. i like working with people, but it's the same people, day after day, and some of them have terrible attitudes. i know, they'll be at any job i go to, but i also need more money, and the job i'm at probably won't be giving out any more raises/promotions in the near future, so i'm gonna need to take the time to get a better one. [spoiler'as for the ongoing discussion of morality: geetting off topic as hell here.]If this is true, why aren't people jumping at the opportunities to donate to charity or give to others?because they can't always afford to? i donate to charities and the homeless when i have it to spare, but i'm not giving my entire check to them. does that make me greedy? i have common sense. i can't help everybody as much as i'd like to, and i understand that trying would simply burn me out in every way possible. so instead, i do what i can where i can, and hope others do the same. my greed restrains my altruism before it can drain my resources completely. Selfishness is greed, it is irrational, and as explained above, it simply does not work.selfishness is not irrational, selfishness is simply a stronger form of self-preservation, a completely reasonable position. let's say that i want a promotion, so i work harder than anybody else in my office, and then i get that promotion, would that not be an act of selfishness? but in working harder, i increase the profits gained by my company, and i set better standards for those who wish to follow/surpass me. selfishness is born of competition, you want more, so you will work harder to get it. of course this is not always the case, but it's one of many examples in which being selfish can benefit yourself without bringing everything else around you down. Even if helping other people has a better return for you, it's not immediately apparent, so we don't act on it. If we acted in what we thought was our self-interest all the time, we would always take the chance to screw the other person for a small benefit to ourselves. see e.g. Prisoner's Dilemma.even if the return isn't immediately apparent, even greedy people realize that it is there more often than not. for example, there have been multiple times this year where i've gotten furious at my co-workers and the people we work with, yet i kept my mouth shut because while it would have been satisfying at that immediate moment, and i did/do have other jobs lined up in the future, my resume has an immaculate record with full praise from every single boss and reference i've had in the past. that's something that you cannot get instantly, and that's something that greed/ self interest motivates you to get, because high praise and spotless reviews from multiple former employers grants you an edge in the world of business no matter where you transfer to. self interest has multiple options, and you appear to be only giving it the negative aspects in your refutations. greed is not always the evil, it can also be the drive that puts you above your competitors, and I can really find no fault in being motivated by rational greed, I.e. self-interest. many things that humans do are for their own benefit, you occasionally appear to confuse being greedy with being short sighted, i am a very greedy person, ambitious people are often motivated by greed, and the best sports teams are comprised of people who want the exact same thing. greed can affect the collective as well as the individual, and it doesn't always work the same ways in different, or even the same people. it's not as simple as you make it out to be. i'm tired though, so some of this might not make any sense the way I've posted it. also, late happy new years! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wahrheit Posted January 13, 2016 Author Report Share Posted January 13, 2016 Is a man not entitled to the sweat on his brow? The plasmids in his veins? The failing underwater self-interest utopia that is the inevitable result of absurdly flawed philosophy? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tentacruel Posted January 13, 2016 Report Share Posted January 13, 2016 Is a man not entitled to the sweat on his brow? The plasmids in his veins? The failing underwater self-interest utopia that is the inevitable result of absurdly flawed philosophy? I'm sorry if this is off-topic, but I had so much fun beating that guy to death. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wahrheit Posted January 13, 2016 Author Report Share Posted January 13, 2016 I'm sorry if this is off-topic, but I had so much fun beating that guy to death. A man chooses. A slave obeys. Choose to be less awful in 2016. See, we're back on topic! It all works out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
~ P O L A R I S ~ Posted January 14, 2016 Report Share Posted January 14, 2016 A man chooses. A slave obeys. Choose to be less awful in 2016. Yes sir, your wish is my command! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ryusei the Morning Star Posted January 14, 2016 Report Share Posted January 14, 2016 * Get big. (Physically, not famous.) I kinda want you to elaborate on this, but I'm worried about its potential lewdness and scaring Toyo's innocent mind Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blake Posted January 14, 2016 Report Share Posted January 14, 2016 I want to start valuing myself more. Not more than others, but enough that I don't go "That's wrong, you idiot" all the time, or beat myself up for entertaining a brief fantasy of winning the lottery or equivalent. I want to get a job, because I'm getting claustrophobic with how lowly success is vs my age. Just to be an all around better person. I'm not as hot headed as I used to be, but I'm still prone to getting fired up eventually. Try to be more empathetic, like I used to be. Oh, and lose weight. I miss working out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tentacruel Posted January 14, 2016 Report Share Posted January 14, 2016 I kinda want you to elaborate on this, but I'm worried about its potential lewdness and scaring Toyo's innocent mindLike Christian Bale. Mind you I'm not THAT skinny, but you get the idea. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.