Self-interest vs. Altruism...again. Everyone is motivated by self-interest I had this argument with one of my high school history teachers, and it aggravated me to the extent that I still remember and debate against it to this day. It is a theory that is widely regarded as true, and continuously propagated in education. The counter-argument that Everyone is motivated by altruism is hardly considered a possibility (doesnt even pop up as an option on a Google search), and Id imagine only a handful of people believe that altruism even exists. The argument itself is fairly easy to understand. Every act is a practice of self-interest. Everyone acts in a manner that benefits themselves and preserves their interest. Therefore, for every action there must be a self-gratifying reward. It preserves well being, it preserves life. Where the argument aggravates me is that it will always fold in on itself for support under every condition chosen to refute it: Helping another in distress: We want social points, we want recognition, we want glory...and ultimately... When we see people in distress, we experience an emotion response of distress ourselves. Therefore, we act in a way to relieve our own stress, and thus self-interest. Self-sacrifice (the argument I used to get straight to the end point), discounting a belief in the God or afterlife judgment, discounting personal relationships, and near full assurance of death (sacrifice of life, limb, future): Under the case of certain death in order to help someone else, the person is motivated by their own emotions, beliefs, or convictions - and is thus acting out of self-interest. So even without a tangible or measurable reward, or even the possibility of a future reward, the argument is that because we made the decision based on a certain consciously-constructed code of action...its self-interested. Maybe that code of action helped our self-interested motives throughout our life. Perhaps to die for that belief system is what will make us happy in the current moment, despite the sacrifice of life or future, it is personally worth it to commit to the action...thus, self-interested. Well, actually, that makes sense. So why the aggravation? This is a philosophy, yet it is passed off with all the fervor of a scientific fact. So Ill propose another philosophy that rolls all actions into an altruistic motive, just as the previously mentioned rolls all actions into a self-interested motive. Sigh. Im tired. F*** it. If not self-interest, then what guides our actions? Empathy and the ability to identify others in relation to the self. Social animals rely on group survival. Social groups/families do the same. Communities share common concerns for each others safety, well-being, etc. Cultures share common beliefs, histories, codes of conduct, laws, etc. Nations form society-managing structures, laws, systems of governance, defense, protection. Apply them universally upon all who are identified as its own. National alliances form for mutual security and benefit in effort to protect what is held by those who identify themselves as incorporated into its own. V International/global organizations form to create universal laws, Human Rights. Ability to identify as human starts to trump certain social/national/differentiating divisions. Issues of survival and common law for humanity take a higher seat. Humanity serves in the self-interest of humanity. If all individuals are incorporated into one whole being, no individual can serve solely their self-interest. The whole will ensure that every action serves to its benefit...thus, every action is made altruistic. Although we start off as babies, relying on their mother for the sole purpose of survival, we grow further from that. How has our parents and familys beliefs impacted our own? How has our common community/cultural/national codes, laws, beliefs, and morality influenced each social categorization down the line, to our families, to us? How are human behaviors that threaten all of humanity handled, as a whole, and disseminated throughout the world? If we possess full self-determination, then everyone acts in their own self-interest. If our self has been determined by human nature, then everyone is guided by altruism. Emphasis on acts vs guided. In the end, I will support the first argument by introducing a space, and the second by replacing a word. Every one is motivated by self-interest. Everyone is motivated by altruism. Aint even gonna bother proofreading. Few will read anyways. I did hardly any schoolwork today.
Posted on: Wed, 21 Jan 2015 00:08:54 +0000
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