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Current time: November 10, 2024, 3:24 pm
Poll: Which is the most Rational Moral Philosophy? This poll is closed. |
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Altruism | 8 | 57.14% | |
Egoism | 6 | 42.86% | |
Total | 14 vote(s) | 100% |
* You voted for this item. | [Show Results] |
Thread Rating:
Altruism or Egoism?
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Just gonna throw it out there: we have a rule against resurrecting a thread if nobody has posted in it for thirty days or more.
"YOU take the hard look in the mirror. You are everything that is wrong with this world. The only thing important to you, is you." - ronedee
Want to see more of my writing? Check out my (safe for work!) site, Unprotected Sects! RE: Altruism or Egoism?
February 25, 2014 at 5:37 am
(This post was last modified: February 25, 2014 at 5:38 am by Ryantology.)
Well, I voted Altruist. I think it's more beneficial not only to myself, but to my community, therefore ensuring a better world. But, I agree with everything in Tartarus Sauce's post. One cannot be purely altruistic...even the act of giving soothes our egos, doesn't it?
The poll question is "Which is the most Rational Moral Philosophy?" with the choice of altruism or egoism. I think that is context-dependent. The person who is in a "every man for himself" type of situation would rationally choose egoism and seek his own benefit, even if it is at the expense of others. The person in the more common communal or societal setting will rationally prefer altruism, since his own situation would be improved by contributing to the well-being of the larger group.
In my present situation, as the citizen of a modern society, altruism works as a rational moral philosophy better than egoism. That is, if I was limited to only making altruistic or egotistic choices, instead of selecting based on circumstances.
"Well, evolution is a theory. It is also a fact. And facts and theories are different things, not rungs in a hierarchy of increasing certainty. Facts are the world's data. Theories are structures of ideas that explain and interpret facts. Facts don't go away when scientists debate rival theories to explain them. Einstein's theory of gravitation replaced Newton's in this century, but apples didn't suspend themselves in midair, pending the outcome. And humans evolved from ape- like ancestors whether they did so by Darwin's proposed mechanism or by some other yet to be discovered."
-Stephen Jay Gould
I am committed to altruism in any way I can manifest it. I enjoy the utilitarianism of a good deed performed without the expectancy of a reciprocal gesture - it engenders me with a happiness otherwise reserved for personal attainment and achievement. It provides me with an intrinsic sense of worth.
I am not beyond egoism, however, as I am frequently and rather candidly aware of what pleases me and what provides another type of happiness within a utilitarian outlook. Happiness is the absence of pain and the presence of pleasure in this case, thus, as with any other human, I am always interested in removing myself from pain and assuring myself of pleasure. RE: Altruism or Egoism?
February 25, 2014 at 2:53 pm
(This post was last modified: February 25, 2014 at 2:55 pm by CapnAwesome.)
Whether or not people want to be honest with themselves, they are selfish. Are you feeding other people before yourself and your family? Even many of the supposedly altruistic things that people do are ultimately to make themselves feel good. This however is also why I find philosophies like Objectivism or LeVeyian Satanism to be totally irrelevant. People don't need to be told to be selfish. People are selfish by nature.
Oh, crap. Ego got banned? I hope my little comment didn't contribute to that.
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