Is everything we do self serving?

[Pel]

I was wondering. Is everything we do, even good brave deeds self serving. Like I am thinking about good things we do, even those where it seems like we are geting nothing in return. Like giving money to a person that is beging, like someone in a wheelchair who you might never see again.

Is even that in a way self serving? It makes you feel good about yourself if you are a non believer. If you are a believer than you either score points with God or you end up good wich leads to peace in next life. I suppose those things depend on what you believe.

At wich point are shure that you are good enough and all you do is maintain good because that's what you have become. At wich point are you certain that all you are doing is because you don't want nothing in return because you already have what you want?

I think that it takes a lot of work on arriving at that point and once you are there you still can't rest but you know that you have either come close to or have fully disolved your ego.

Thanks

[KichigaiNeko]

Short answer is YES Pel...since this god of yours does not exist EVERYTHING YOU do serves to make YOU feel better about yourself. Nothing more. Not that that is an entirely bad thing. But hey you want to credit something out side of yourself for all the effort YOU put in ?? Be my guest. You are still 'self serving'.

[Violet]

Everything we intend to do might be 'self-serving', but I have accidentally done things that have gotten me into danger, trouble, or made me feel like a huge dick.

Unless you're invincible to doing things you didn't intend to do: your answer is no.

[The Magic Pudding]

I was wondering. Is everything we do, even good brave deeds self serving.

Ye but that doesn't mean we are diminished by it.
We may have noble ideals that are part of us.
If I see the world as wonderful because it has wonderful things in it and the hairy nose wombat is a wonderful thing. So I'm off to arid regions to do what I can.

Yes I'm self serving, I'm not a slave after all.

[Anomalocaris]

To address this question, you need to clarify what is the "self" that you are serving.

For examine, which self is served when one decides to commit suicide?

[genkaus]

I was wondering. Is everything we do, even good brave deeds self serving. Like I am thinking about good things we do, even those where it seems like we are geting nothing in return. Like giving money to a person that is beging, like someone in a wheelchair who you might never see again.

Is even that in a way self serving? It makes you feel good about yourself if you are a non believer. If you are a believer than you either score points with God or you end up good wich leads to peace in next life. I suppose those things depend on what you believe.

At wich point are shure that you are good enough and all you do is maintain good because that's what you have become. At wich point are you certain that all you are doing is because you don't want nothing in return because you already have what you want?

I think that it takes a lot of work on arriving at that point and once you are there you still can't rest but you know that you have either come close to or have fully disolved your ego.

Thanks

I'm not sure how to answer this. I don't consider many things that appear to be self-serving to be actually self-serving. For example, simply "makes you feel good" is not enough to make an action self-serving. Drugs make you feel good, but if you take them you certainly aren't doing yourself any favors.

Similarly, I'm not sure that an actions such as "sacrificing something for someone else for nothing in return" can or should count as self-serving, no matter how good they make you feel.

However, that is not the main point of your question. Your question is "Can we truly be good if we can never give up our self-interest?"

And my answer to that is - the question is wrong. The assumption you are making here is being self-serving is evil and it is only when an action does not benefit you at all, either in matter or in spirit, can it be called purely good. That assumption is wrong. And not just wrong, it is evil because any attempt to practice it on this earth would make your life unlivable.

[Oldandeasilyconfused]

For examine, which self is served when one decides to commit suicide?

The self which is suffering unbearable emotional or physical pain. EG the terminal cancer patient is serving himself by ending his agony..

[Welsh cake]

If we were not self serving we would not exist.

[Perhaps]

If the question is simply does altruism exist, then the answer is no. If you have a more specific point within your question then I would agree with Vaeolet, not all actions turn out to be self-serving simply due to accidents and the irrationality of the universe.

[Oldandeasilyconfused]

If the question is simply does altruism exist, then the answer is no

Positive claim; proof?

Last time I looked, nobody had yet developed the skill of mind reading. Hence we cannot say with certainty what the motivation of any given act might be. Based on observation of people's behaviour,all I'm able to say is that there SEEMS to be altruistic acts, many. However,so far I'm unaware of having ever come across a consistently altruistic person.

We humans are only just another species of animal after all. It seems reasonable to me to assume we are motivated by self interest (survival) just like all other animals. It would be nice to think we sometimes rise above our animal nature.Sadly I'm unable to assert that is the case with any confidence.