Are Objectivists really selfish?
What is selfish? How do selfish people act? Below is "the Top Acts of Selfishness" list used in the video posted at,
http://www.galtsgulchonline.com/posts/f1...
If you have been taught to be collectively minded; if you believe a forest is a physical thing and not a concept representing individual trees in an area; if you believe that a state is a physical thing and not a concept representing many individual people in an area; you are likely to unthinkingly accept this list as the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth.
So here it is, the Top Acts of Selfishness:
Bad-mouthing someone to look better
Avoiding donating to charity
Failing to let another driver in or give way
Not contacting relatives
Forgetting a birthday
Being unsympathetic
Making what you want for dinner without consulting
Making only your own cup of tea in the office
Giving a smaller portion
Failing to open doors
Not clearing up your mess
Picking a DVD without thinking about a partner
Borrowing something and not returning it
Blaming someone else
Not helping out colleagues
Not handing back money when someone drops it
Pushing into a queue
Not offering a lift
Are the above acts rational? Do they follow the Objectivist virtues?
How many Objectivists do you know that fit this list?
http://www.galtsgulchonline.com/posts/f1...
If you have been taught to be collectively minded; if you believe a forest is a physical thing and not a concept representing individual trees in an area; if you believe that a state is a physical thing and not a concept representing many individual people in an area; you are likely to unthinkingly accept this list as the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth.
So here it is, the Top Acts of Selfishness:
Bad-mouthing someone to look better
Avoiding donating to charity
Failing to let another driver in or give way
Not contacting relatives
Forgetting a birthday
Being unsympathetic
Making what you want for dinner without consulting
Making only your own cup of tea in the office
Giving a smaller portion
Failing to open doors
Not clearing up your mess
Picking a DVD without thinking about a partner
Borrowing something and not returning it
Blaming someone else
Not helping out colleagues
Not handing back money when someone drops it
Pushing into a queue
Not offering a lift
Are the above acts rational? Do they follow the Objectivist virtues?
How many Objectivists do you know that fit this list?
Previous comments... You are currently on page 2.
So this list of "Top Acts of Selfishness" is actually against the individual's self-interest. AND THERE IS THE CONTRADICTION.
Check the premises, such as, does the list really represent the most selfish acts? Does a selfish act need to be thoughtless? Are truly selfish acts about the short term? Is selfishness irrational?
There are many trying to convince the world the only answer is, "yes", to all of the above.
The video within in the post linked above debunks selfishness as being so irrational using their own list.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cRXNNqNf...
1) I just like to, and it's my short life to do whatever I want with.
2) Maybe people will reciprocate.
3) Maybe I can get a network of people who will do it not out of reciprocity but because it makes us all stronger than the sum of our parts. (The goal is individual strength. The network is just a means.)
4) There's a psychological thing inside me that goes off when I fix someone's problem. It gets me thinking "what can I fix next"? "Whom can I help next?" "How can I serve (for money not guns) people?" This thinking leads to actions that get things I want.
Read Objectivism: The philosophy of Ayn Rand by Leonard Piekoff; or The Virtue of Selfishness for more detailed analysis on the subject.
As far as Objectivists acting unselfishly, it depends on how you define an Objectivist.
Ayn Rand's villains engage in this behavior. The heroes focus on getting things actually done rather than looking like they're getting things done.
this list rubs me the wrong way. there may be times when someone drops money and I will not stop and pick it up for them. Someone else may deserve the blame, I have definitely avoided giving to charity before, and there are plenty of relatives I am not contacting regularly. I'd rather discuss the forest question
Selfish, to me, is different from self-interest. I'm currently reading (slow read) the Virtue of Selfishness and do not yet profess to understand Rand (Objectivists) definition of the word. However, I do understand self-interest, as my Founding Fathers did, and none of those things above strike me as legitimate at face value. While the individual has every right to be all of the above, for whatever reason he/she chooses, it certainly won't win him companionship, friends, co-workers support.
Yet, if you think about how a cooperative society of six people could run, you see the individuals. If you think about how a cooperative society of a million people could run, the individuals typically disappear and a state like thing takes their place. Yet it is still in reality many many individuals.