Honestly now?
Let us not mix up the words Egoism with Egotism, nor consider Altruism to be simply an act of helping your neighbor. Egoism is the belief that everything we do has it's drive under our own self-interest. Altruism, on the other hand, claims that human beings are, and can act, unselfishly.
But is it not true that even our moments of unselfishness are truly moments of self interest? Do we not help the lost, and assist the helpless not simply for their own sake, but for our sake as well, as we are human beings that relate to their position, and through compassion and love fulfill that much more goodness in ourselves?
And consider God; if it is the work of a saint, surely we would consider him selfless! But he is doing such through accountability to God, which would make the situation self-centered, as he is doing such things - though they may be only possible through the grace given to him - for the sole purpose of his relationship with Him, which is clearly a claim to selfishness.
The same can be said with a person doing acts for his wife, friend, neighbor, etc.
Consider the classic Abraham Lincoln story:
"Mr. Lincoln once remarked to a fellow-passenger on an old-time mud-coach that all men were prompted by selfishness in doing good. His fellow-passenger was antagonizing this position when they were passing over a corduroy bridge that spanned a slough. As they crossed this bridge they espied an old razorbacked sow on the bank making a terrible noise because her pigs had go into the slough and were in danger of drowning. As the old coach began to climb the hill, Mr. Lincoln called out, "Driver, can't you stop just a moment?" Then Mr. Lincoln jumped out, ran back, and lifted the little pigs out of the mud and water and placed them on the bank. When he returned, his companion remarked: "Now, Abe, where does selfishness come in on this little episode?" "Why, bless your soul, Ed, that was the very essence of selfishness. I should have had no peace of mind all day had I gone on and left that suffering old sow worrying over those pigs. I did it to get peace of mind, don't you see?"
Or consider the words of Pascal:
"All men seek happiness. This is without exception. Whatever different means they employ, they all tend to this end. The cause of some going to war, and of others avoiding it, is the same desire in both, attended with different views. The will never takes the least step but to this object. This is the motive of every action of every man, even of those who hang themselves."
It seems, then, not to be a question of whether a person is being selfish (this being in the sense of what we would consider not sharing your toys, or becoming arrogantly egocentric) or not, but whether this selfishness is a simple revelation of his immorality. A person who doesn't look out for others, and who doesn't care to give his pocket change to a family on the street is very well a person that is immoral, or base, while the person who gives his life for a stranger is of saint-like existence, even though both men are expressing a same sense of selfishness: for one being a twisted financial survival, and the other accountability and love for his God and fellow man.
Thoughts?
Let us not mix up the words Egoism with Egotism, nor consider Altruism to be simply an act of helping your neighbor. Egoism is the belief that everything we do has it's drive under our own self-interest. Altruism, on the other hand, claims that human beings are, and can act, unselfishly.
But is it not true that even our moments of unselfishness are truly moments of self interest? Do we not help the lost, and assist the helpless not simply for their own sake, but for our sake as well, as we are human beings that relate to their position, and through compassion and love fulfill that much more goodness in ourselves?
And consider God; if it is the work of a saint, surely we would consider him selfless! But he is doing such through accountability to God, which would make the situation self-centered, as he is doing such things - though they may be only possible through the grace given to him - for the sole purpose of his relationship with Him, which is clearly a claim to selfishness.
The same can be said with a person doing acts for his wife, friend, neighbor, etc.
Consider the classic Abraham Lincoln story:
"Mr. Lincoln once remarked to a fellow-passenger on an old-time mud-coach that all men were prompted by selfishness in doing good. His fellow-passenger was antagonizing this position when they were passing over a corduroy bridge that spanned a slough. As they crossed this bridge they espied an old razorbacked sow on the bank making a terrible noise because her pigs had go into the slough and were in danger of drowning. As the old coach began to climb the hill, Mr. Lincoln called out, "Driver, can't you stop just a moment?" Then Mr. Lincoln jumped out, ran back, and lifted the little pigs out of the mud and water and placed them on the bank. When he returned, his companion remarked: "Now, Abe, where does selfishness come in on this little episode?" "Why, bless your soul, Ed, that was the very essence of selfishness. I should have had no peace of mind all day had I gone on and left that suffering old sow worrying over those pigs. I did it to get peace of mind, don't you see?"
Or consider the words of Pascal:
"All men seek happiness. This is without exception. Whatever different means they employ, they all tend to this end. The cause of some going to war, and of others avoiding it, is the same desire in both, attended with different views. The will never takes the least step but to this object. This is the motive of every action of every man, even of those who hang themselves."
It seems, then, not to be a question of whether a person is being selfish (this being in the sense of what we would consider not sharing your toys, or becoming arrogantly egocentric) or not, but whether this selfishness is a simple revelation of his immorality. A person who doesn't look out for others, and who doesn't care to give his pocket change to a family on the street is very well a person that is immoral, or base, while the person who gives his life for a stranger is of saint-like existence, even though both men are expressing a same sense of selfishness: for one being a twisted financial survival, and the other accountability and love for his God and fellow man.
Thoughts?
