Are some humans inherantly self serving and selfish by nature?

SparkyTech

Just sitting on the bus going into town this morning it striked me how stressed and busy all the high powerd business people walking along seem to be. It made me think how, as members of a western society who have a far more decent (and decadent) lifestyle then other citizens of this world we are quite selfish and unappreciative.

Why do we place so much time and effort on status and prestige, having to be fiscaly secure and splurge money on frivolrus things to prove something of ourselves in this world? I know im generalising here, but in my experience a fair few people ive met through my own work and on placements who come accross as inherantly selfish, cut throat and ambitious, and will strike anyone down in their way to get a job title and 2k more on their take home paycheque. At the end of the day, we all live and die, and we all have the same imited lifespan on this earth, no? There has to be more to live then getting a college degree and having upteem sense of entitlements.

looksee

On the whole I agree with you, though I would argue a couple of points. I do not see anything wrong in looking for a college degree, any more than learning a trade or practising a skill.

I also do not agree that there is any problem with wanting to be financially secure - but it does not usually go along with frivolous spending or one-up-man-ship. Many of the people who spend in that way are the ones with the maxed out credit cards, which is hardly financial security.

I agree with many of your other points though. I think it is learned though, rather than an inherent trait. There is a natural need to look after your own survival and that of your family, but that does not have to be anti-social. Quite often co-operation with other people is the best way of ensuring your own and your family's survival.

Looking after yourself at the expense of other people is what causes breakdown of society - the situation this country is in at the moment. If people are brought up to believe that their own wants are paramount then they will behave in the way you suggest, but it is possible to rear children to be aware of a wider responsibility, and many people do.

Bottle_of_Smoke

Check out Robert Winston's book "human Nature" or Richard Dawkins "selfish gene"

Status and prestige may just get you a higher value mate, and therefore higher value children who carry your genes.

Therefore natural selection has favoured those who instictively care about status/prestige/high value mates.

Scanlas The 2nd

Pretty much everything we do is selfish. Even when we are helping others we are doing it to feel good or for political reasons.

Permabear

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karma_

Permabear wrote: »

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Does anyone actually believe this?

Permabear

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fly_agaric

Permabear wrote:

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Crediting progress to greed & "selfishness" of businesspeople in this way is a bit much is it not?

I suppose its still a quite common view despite all that's gone on in Ireland & further afield over the last few years but warped none the less.

newmug

Bottle_of_Smoke wrote: »

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What, exactly, is a high value mate???????

Permabear wrote: »

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General improvement in the western economy overall. We are just riding the wave.

But specifically to Ireland, our lot has improved because of independance from england. We have been improving ever since. So thank the farmers and labourers who had enough, and decided to put their own lives at risk to improve the lives of future Irish generations. Not "high flying businessmen".