Do you think everyone is motivated by selfishness?

This is an argument of semantics.

Some people here are confusing “self-rewarding” behavior with “selfish” behavior.

Doing good things for others that makes you feel good about yourself is not selfish behavior .

It is “self–rewarding” behavior.

Self-rewarding - containing or producing its own reward as in

“virtue is self–rewarding”

Self-rewarding behavior may be altruistic or selfish,

But if you put others first then you are not stingy, and primarily self serving by definition.

unselfishness – “the quality of not putting yourself first but being willing to give your time or money or effort etc. for others; "rural people show more devotion and unselfishness than do their urban cousins"

Notice it doesn’t say “having no concern for yourself.” It says “not putting yourself FIRST!”

Selfishness - stinginess resulting from a concern for putting your own welfare over others, or a disregard of others feelings or wellbeing. As soon as you put others welfare over your own and have a regard for others welfare and feelings you are not being selfish.

Listen to Fox Noise for excellent examples of selfish thoughts, feelings, and behaviors…

“Me My Self and I

“That’s the far right battle cry.

“I don’t care about the poor or ill.

“I just want my selfish fill”

“Turning mundane words into metaphysical properties is bad for your philosophical health.”

Yes. When it comes down to it, isn't everything that you've done or thought about doing beneficial to yourself in some way. You would never purposefully do anything that would give a result contradictory to what you wanted to happen. For example, you would never ruin your chances at a stable job, ruin your future, ruin your house if those were the things you wanted. When you donate, do you not do it because it either makes yourself look generous to others or because you feel good about it afterwards. To be unselfish is to ensure our own destruction. Being selfish is how we survive.

The fine line between good or bad selfish actions is another debate

Nope I don't. I do a lot of things for others that don't benefit me. When I give a $5 to a homeless person I don't do it out of selfishness. When I help a stranger lift some heavy stuff into his truck or whatever, I don't do it out of selfishness. So, maybe its just me, but I don't think everything everyone does is a selfish act. Unless you mean feeling good about helping others is being selfish? I know some kooks actually think that feeling good for helping others makes helping others a selfish act. Kooks.

Technically there is no such thing as a SELFLESS act because even if you sacrifice something for someone else you are still doing it to serve your interest. For example if you donate money it's to fulfill your need to want to help out someone in need. I suppose self sacrifice even counts as a non-selfless act because for whatever reason you sacrificed yourself it was your deccision and technically is fulfilling your interest. But I say why be technical. Besides which this is often seen as a negative but I don't see it that way. Morals and civilizations are built on self interest and people that share those interests. If someone has a selfish desire to make others around them happy and properous I say let em.

Selfishness is outlined as "the rational curiosity in a single's possess wellbeing." Some humans will brush aside that definition in desire of 1 which permits them to cross political or fiscal judgment, and in so doing fail to observe that definitions aren't judgments. Anyway, take a seem at Ayn Rand and her e-book "The Virtue of Selfishness". She starts with the definition which I quoted above, and is going on to give an explanation for why selfishness is central to our human situation. She additionally describes a useful rule to reside a egocentric existence - do not sacrifice your self to others and do not permit others to sacrifice themselves to you. (Meaning that charity have got to handiest be granted via loose will as a substitute than via guilt.) Rand is, I think, reasonably patchy in her considering and supply however I uncover that her foundational considering comes by way of evidently sufficient - and I trust her. Several of her works could also be observed at any library, however I have a tendency to keep away from her fiction paintings, it is particularly, particularly, lengthy. Enjoy!

In a way, but there's good selfishness and bad selfishness. When we say "selfish" we tend to mean the bad kind (materialistic/gluttony/power hungry etc) but the desire to love and be loved or feel righteous is selfish too, just in a good way.

hope that helps.

As much as it pains me to say it but people are ultimately selfish. I didn't always think this way but one day I examined all of my friendships and every single one I have something to gain by being there friend. If you are honest with yourself you will see that the friends you keep you keep for a selfish reason. The real question then becomes what do my friends have to gain from me?

Yes. And even if you do good deeds and donate money, etc. you're doing it for a "feel good feeling" for yourself. Maybe other people are a big part of it, too, but that doesn't mean there's not something in it for you, too.

I think it is. What's in it for me? By adding an answer to this question I get 2 points. It makes ME feel good that I'VE made a contribution to society and I think that I'M smart for having an answer/opinion.

According to economist, yes.