namsdrawkcaBehT

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So, I was thinking that every single animal (inclusive of humans) are driven by greed.
The cause of every single action is based on self interest and greed.

If you were to pass by a drowning child, you would most likely try to save it. You'd get a warm fuzzy feeling out of it. But lets say you were evil, and watched it drown....You would still get the warm fuzzy feeling.

What do you's think? Yes, no, maybe?

ims0punk

I think that it's different in every situation. Some people do something for someone for the satisfaction of being able to hold it above their heads. However, other people do something for someone and think nothing of it.

If a mother and her child are held in a carjacking, and she's trying desperately to save her child, she would take a bullet or perhaps even die for it. Is she doing it because she wants a "warm fuzzy feeling?" No, she's doing it because it is her instinct as a parent to want her offspring to go on with life.

Although there are greedy people out there, not every single human, nor animal, is driven off of it. We're all greedy at some points in our lives, with different intentions and different degrees of greed.

OrdinaryGirl

I had a really long post I had all typed out, and then when I clicked submit, it had logged me out. GRRRRRRRRRRRRR!!!!

I may retype it later. I'm too frustrated now.

zzyzzgy

you seem to have two different ideas there.
getting a warm, fuzzy feeling watching a child drown really has nothing to do with self-interest or greed. that has more to do with dysfunctional thinking.
i do belive you are right about everyone acting in self-interest, but greed is an extreme.

Stumpy

Yeah. Survival instinct = good, greed = bad. And greed is just survival instinct taken to an unhealthy extreme, if I remember my philosophy classes correctly. It's good to want to accumulate food, but bad to take more than you need.

I guess the difference for me is when the self-interest takes precedence over the self-survival.

which is why I steal from my boss :happycow: j/k

namsdrawkcaBehT

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Why has it got nothing to do with self-interest?

If you enjoyed watching that kind of thing, you would not do anything to stop it, right?
By the way I only gave that as an example of self-interest....I can think of plenty of others.

And about the mother and car jacking thing......Every human is hardwired to reproduce and pass on their genes. The mother saving the child IS actually in self-interest because she wants her genes to be passed on. Back in year 12, our science teacher had this quote on the board form a book called "The Human Animal" which basically said that to pass on your own genes is more important than anything else even your own survival.

However that also leads on to another question, which asks if there are genetic faults with gays and child abusers.


Another example of self-interest is cats. They stay around an owner because they get fed/groomed etc. If an owner dies with the cat locked in the house, the cat will eat bits of the owner immediatly if it has no other readily availble food. Where as dogs will stay with the owner till it starves before eatting him/her.

Jimi

Homosexuality is not genetic, but that is another thread. Greed is not instinctive. Self-interest does not equal greed. Everything IS done out of self-interest, but very loosely. For example, someone asks you to do something, and even though you don't want to (which means that it is not in your self-interest), you do it anyway. There are different reasons you do it, maybe it's someone you love, or someone who is giving you money. Most of this thread boils down to a soul, or the lack thereof.

namsdrawkcaBehT

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"Everything IS done out of self-interest, but very loosely"
That was the point

However I disagree with greed not equating to self-interest. Greed is, like Stumpy said, an extreme extension of self-interest.

For example, someone asks you to do something, and even though you don't want to (which means that it is not in your self-interest)"
You wouldn't do that something, if there was absolutely no point to it. Like you said there are gains to be had from love and money.