So I have this weird thought that we human beings are all selfish beings in ways that we can't just simply see or realize. Take for example during a singing contest or just any contest, we seem to favor the contestant which we are related with, related in the sense that maybe the contestant is from our place, a family member, friend, or from our country or just someone we just knew. We don't really think about who really deserved to win, it's most or always our personal bias that judges someone. XD so what do you think?
Agreed. Individualism is selfishness, which is ingrained in western culture. Contrast that with collectivism, which is associated with communism and socialism. The cold war was a fight over those competing ideas.
I agree with the main idea that everyone is selfish. But as far as your example is concerned, i think the reason we tend to favor someone we are related to is more about fear of the unknown than it is about selfishness. Whether it's a conscious act or not, everyone tends to prefer someone they have something in common with, and everyone is afraid of what's different from them..
i know a few selfish people and thats one thing i dont like in people it aways makes me fel a little better if i share rather then leave some one go with out if i can help it it makes me feel good too. knowing i might have help some one out
Are you claiming collectivism is less selfish than individualism? Look at the type of people fighting for communism - always the downcasts of society, the downtrodden. They know that any form of collectivism is going to improve their position and will advantage them more than the current system does. While the rich and those that already hold a higher position and are well off - they don't want any change, or they want to further entrench and secure their own interests.
Absolutely yes. The way I understand collectivism -its values are broad inscope; it values society and to a wider extent, the planet. I see individualism -its value is narrow in scope, as attaching highset value to self; it ultimately leads to isolated individuals. I'm no philosopher, but it is interesting to me to see how often unknowingly, these ideas imbed themselves into our minds and our reality becomes those ideas.
I tend to view most as self-absorbed. It's their own self-interest that drives them to function in their day. We all have elements of that....it's part of how we accomplish. Yet, the trait does not exclude one from being compassionate and/or generous toward others. What annoys me is how people need attention when in a conversation! The necessity to outdo each other, or one-up each other, or dominate, grates on me.
You see, collectivism is just another form of individualism. Whether I support one or the other depends on the answer to the question - "which one will benefit me the most?". If I'm poor, I want the wealth to be shared and the rich to be brought down to my level, so I support strong social policies. If I'm rich I want very little government interference in order to preserve that wealth. That's the science of politics. The art is making your policy appealing to those who will support it.
No. The opposite of selfishness is self denial. Those who consider others are not less selfish but have a larger more inclusive level of self identification.
I honestly don't ask that question. I ask the question - "which one will benefit my children and to a broader extent the society this generation is leaving behind."
How can you not see that as the same thing? It doesn't please you to make your children happy and to see yourself as a generous person?
Maybe I'm missing something? Feel free to show me. Yes, seeing my childeren happy pleases me. Seeing myself as a generous person is not something I thought about.
Some people have far too broad a definition of terms. If I'm "selfish" because I identify more with a certain type of person, is that really the same thing as leaving my kids with a nanny all day every day so I can go to the spa? Or never visiting my parents in their nursing home? Or conning people out of thousands of dollars to make myself rich? When you start counting every other human behavior as selfish, it takes the significance out of seriously selfish behavior. As for collectivism, you're overlooking a big danger of it--what if you don't fit in (for whatever reason) to the collective society you live in? You become ostracized, discriminated against. Most Asian/Native American/African cultures are very collectivist, and while there are many positives to this, the reality is they are not all about saving the environment (look at poaching in Africa or the smog problem in China) or peace and love (think tribal warfare). I think you're thinking of a specific, non-existent collectivist society where everyone more or less agrees with you. The reality is collectivist societies are much easier to be controlled by politicians with bad intentions (North Korea being a perfect example of this). Of course, individualism has it's flaws too. The point is, in a healthy society, you have a good mixture of both. Unfortunately, I have yet to hear of such a society (except maybe in Europe).
Can you really compare the actions of two different people at all? How we act depends on the sum of our past experiences, our successes and failures, which are always different. If I stay home with the kids instead of going to the spa, it's because I couldn't bear the self-condemnation and guilt that goes with the other action. If that guilt was the same in the person who does go to the spa, it shouldn't be viewed as selfish - I'd feel much better about myself by NOT going. Of course, it's never explained in this way: instead we invent 'selflessness', which makes us feel even better! :sunny:
I agree with the OP in that an attribute or consequence of selfishness is not being able to see or realize it. Narcissus saw his own reflection in the water and fell in love with it, not realizing it was merely an image. Unable to leave the beauty of his reflection, Narcissus died.
Oh yeah dude. All of us, every one of us, are selfish, and we can't change that. It's kind of like in our nature if you will and I'll give you a fresh example. If we were not selfish for example, then we would always give away what was asked of us, at all times. It is how we control our selfishness that seperates some from most. Notice also how selfishness ties into just about all our problems, ehh? Think about that. War, greed, starvation ~ selfishness. Next time you see a problem, think about its roots and how it could have been prevented in the first place.
