[elfman2]

" you're presuming that the other person you're dealing with at the moment shares your belief/perspective/opinion of the issue at hand. What if that person believes that YOU should come to his/her position? Both of you are acting in your own self-interest. "

That’s a misconception of Objectivism that’s common in people who have only the briefest exposure to some of it. Believing that something is in one’s self interest does not make it so. Otherwise, Objectivism would be “subjectivism”. That’s why Objectivists are usually careful to say “rational self interest”. It’s up to us to discover what is in our rational self interest, first through guidance and education but then through observation and reasoning. Opinions vary, but recognizing the most fundamental social values that we should share (beyond the “self-engrossiveness” that I think you are referring to) is not rocket science.

By the way, theists are just as prone to differences of opinions and conflict, perhaps more so.

[Prov3456]

re: theists. I agree. Theists are just as full of original sin as atheists are. And that's because we're all human.

Only one man who ever lived was perfect--but that gets us into a discussion of religion/God.