Is True Selflessness a Myth?

SirBoglor

SirBoglor

[b][I][FONT=Satisfy]It's over, isn't it?[/FONT][/I
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    This comes from something thought provoking that I heard the other day from an anime that I watched (Kokoro Connect, if you're curious.)

    The gist of the concept is that while it may seem like we're doing something selfless, deep down we always have our own interests in mind. If you hold open a door for a stranger, it's because you want to make a friend. If you were to even sacrifice your life for someone, it's because you like them and you don't want them to die. Deep down, we are all selfish.

    As someone who tries to help others more often than not, this really had me thinking. And to be honest, I agree with this concept. Deep down, I always have my own interests in mind. But is that necessarily a bad thing? No, I don't think so. Wanting to be a kind person isn't a bad thing, even if your intentions aren't as pure as you may think.

    Anyways, what do you guys think? I'd really love to here PC's thoughts on this topic.
     
    unless someone is being/has been hurt, i tend to believe that the end result is all that matters. i'm quite cynical about people's motives, as self-fulfilment is the goal more often than people themselves realise, but as long as someone is improved by another person's actions, their root intent is usually irrelevant to me.
     
    It's hard to know what anyone's motivations are, including your own, so to a degree basing judgment on motivation more than the result is not so helpful.

    So I guess I would say that you might not be able to have true selflessness (or at least be able to know it when/if it happens) but likewise you are not necessarily able to see/have true selfishness for the same reasons.
     
    OP, if you are perchance interested in the term used to describe what you're arguing, it's called psychological egoism, and you can read a lot about it online if this subject interests you enough.

    As for myself, sure, helping others often comes with some sort of satisfaction that you helped someone, but I think it's only a "side effect" and not the main reason.
     
    Selfless acts can be preformed for selfish purposes, whether it be for the purpose of social status, good feeling, or other use. I do not believe it is totally possible to be entirely selfless.
     
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