"Altruism" is Base Newspeak

[GloryofGreece]

Anecdotal evidence right but for the conversation I'll add that I've met a couple people in my life that lived or lived a part of their life for the sake of others. This is not unheard of.

[Martin Hash]

Every biological animal works off of incentive: no incentive, the species did not continue. Greed triggers dopamine, lust triggers adrenalin, control suppresses cortisone, love triggers serotonin. Altruism is provably inheritable; that would indicate that species without altruism did not continue. Altruism also triggers dopamine, some people more than others. This difference in dopamine response to altruism is demonstrably the defining characteristic between the two political Parties.

[Hanarchy Montanarchy]

Are we saying the ethics of egoism is that pursuing self interest is inherently good, or that it has good effects?

[Speaker to Animals]

Libertarians are basically the vegans of political philosophy.

[Hanarchy Montanarchy]

Libertarians are basically the vegans of political philosophy.

[GloryofGreece]

Every biological animal works off of incentive: no incentive, the species did not continue. Greed triggers dopamine, lust triggers adrenalin, control suppresses cortisone, love triggers serotonin. Altruism is provably inheritable; that would indicate that species without altruism did not continue. Altruism also triggers dopamine, some people more than others. This difference in dopamine response to altruism is demonstrably the defining characteristic between the two political Parties.

Not sure evolution works that way. A lot of it is more like drifting to where we are at now not really a+b=c. Sometimes traits withing a species might not be the best things to have per se looking at it from the outside one could certainly argue it. It just seems like a whole lot of people (not just you or those on this forum) attribute any behavior or institution or tendency b/c "evolution". I don't think so.

Lets play a game. Who coined the phrase "fittest of survival"?
How many people actually read On the Origins of Species?

[K@th]

I tend to agree with the premise that we are all selfish and act in selfish ways. I don't consider selfishness to be a bad quality. It just is. We get many desired outcomes when we each act in our own self-interest.

[GloryofGreece]

Depends on what your values are and what brings meaning to your life. Without some degree of selfish behavior no one would be alive taken to the extreme,but yeah even in everyday life you still function to one degree or another in a "selfish" way but argument is to what degree and when etc.?

[Martin Hash]

Every biological animal works off of incentive: no incentive, the species did not continue. Greed triggers dopamine, lust triggers adrenalin, control suppresses cortisone, love triggers serotonin. Altruism is provably inheritable; that would indicate that species without altruism did not continue. Altruism also triggers dopamine, some people more than others. This difference in dopamine response to altruism is demonstrably the defining characteristic between the two political Parties.

Not sure evolution works that way. A lot of it is more like drifting to where we are at now not really a+b=c. Sometimes traits withing a species might not be the best things to have per se looking at it from the outside one could certainly argue it. It just seems like a whole lot of people (not just you or those on this forum) attribute any behavior or institution or tendency b/c "evolution". I don't think so.

Lets play a game. Who coined the phrase "fittest of survival"?
How many people actually read On the Origins of Species?

Read my book Philosophy of an Old Cyber-Cowboy on Amazon.

[K@th]

Depends on what your values are and what brings meaning to your life. Without some degree of selfish behavior no one would be alive taken to the extreme,but yeah even in everyday life you still function to one degree or another in a "selfish" way but argument is to what degree and when etc.?

I see it as a distinction without a meaningful difference. It doesn't change the way I judge people. Sister Theresa is no less noble a person because I believe she was doing what she absolutely wanted to be doing.

The word selfish comes with an undeserved negative stigma attached, IMO.