My supporting POV on selfishness motivating human moral values

[Tonus]

When you say most people "don't think like that", surely you know that is a very naive generalization, right? Do you really believe that people, in general, operate without an agenda of some kind or at least on some small level?

I think that we all do, on a subconscious level. But we also don't like to feel as if we are doing things that are socially unacceptable, so we will consciously resist the idea that we are selfish.

But I agree with the point that you can expand selfishness until every action is selfish. If helping another person makes you feel good, are you acting out of selfishness? If being generous makes the community stronger and therefore benefits you, are you acting out of selfishness? If everything we do is motivated by selfishness on some level, then selfishness is simply a common state and not worth defining. I think we make those exceptions in order to differentiate between 'selfishness' that benefits the group, and selfishness that harms the group.

Example- I give generously of my time and money to help the poor, and it makes me feel good (selfish) and look good to the community (selfish) and the benefit to the community applies to me as well (selfish). On the other hand, let's say that instead of doing that, I occasionally beat up people and take their money. It makes me feel powerful (selfish) and benefits me financially (selfish). Those are not equivalent, even if we define both as selfish. In particular, the community and the individuals within are much more grateful for the former display of 'selfishness' than the latter.

...except for the well-paid police force that the latter version of me makes necessary, anyway.