tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29128991.post5588845633767362621..comments2023-10-10T09:50:34.565-07:00Comments on Find and Ye Shall Seek: Human NatureMystical Seekerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10828225180668865911noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29128991.post-27397376523181965952007-09-04T19:42:00.000-07:002007-09-04T19:42:00.000-07:00I think that the human will is nonexistent or extr...I think that the human will is nonexistent or extremely limited, so I have to acknowledge that altruism isn't terribly admirable or unexpected. Most of the time, if I do something nice for someone else, it's because - for whatever reason - I wanted to do the nice thing for them.<BR/><BR/>But I've never been able to carry determinism very far into my everyday life, and so I suspect that as long as we don't underestimate the hidden environmental forces that are at work, praising a person's actions as "altruistic" is a perfectly good use of language.Matthewhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17980181582122445265noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29128991.post-33468325200105004352007-09-04T15:05:00.000-07:002007-09-04T15:05:00.000-07:00I have a slightly different view that I think narr...I have a slightly different view that I think narrows the gap between your view and the opposing view of your sister-in-law. Try this on for size and see how it fits...<BR/><BR/>What if those instances of altruism which you observe and characterize as more "pure" but she views as actually selfish would be better described as moments when people realized that whatever it is that is their "self" doesn't end where their flesh stops? What if being selfish is actually a good thing but being altruistic is a byproduct of recognizing others as part of you? Or maybe seeing you in them. If we no longer have such a narrow definition of "self" then we don't have to fight being selfish. <BR/><BR/>This concept of "oneness" is a way to open our eyes to something that no longer makes alturism, love, etc. unnatural. What if the world is actually "me" and my goal is to just go on being selfish and seek my own survival?<BR/><BR/>Maybe what we need is not a change of character but a reshaped definition of self. Somehow this is is central to a spiritual awakening of sorts.Mike L.https://www.blogger.com/profile/15978997781556741350noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29128991.post-44481476559900055572007-09-04T14:06:00.000-07:002007-09-04T14:06:00.000-07:00Good point. I think that some people may confuse ...Good point. I think that some people may confuse the idea that selfishness is a virtue, and the idea that all behavior is really selfish anyway (psychological egoism).Mystical Seekerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10828225180668865911noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29128991.post-76197404438465466822007-09-04T13:30:00.000-07:002007-09-04T13:30:00.000-07:00Those Ayn Rand aficionados don't sound too informe...Those Ayn Rand aficionados don't sound too informed. Rand certainly believed altruism exists as a motive behind actions. She wouldn't have spent so much time railing against it as evil otherwise.Mark Wickenshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00348015131710197067noreply@blogger.com