[Raymann]

I had to put this up here, I think it offers an interesting perspective to conservatives on the nature of morality. You don’t have to agree with it but hopefully you can reflect on some of the questions it raises.

[BipolarBob]

Ayn Rand held a similar philosophy I believe. Some Rand fans feel free to correct me.

[Cicero]

Yes. It is, well, selfish.

If you think self interest is the same as Nature Herself, then you end up, as Hobbes put it in Leviathan, with human life as “solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short.”

Everyone for himself, and the devil take the hindmost. If you want something, take it, and if the other fellow objects, kill him. Contrary to expectations, this kind of attitude does not lead to great happiness.

[SabianKinslow]

Just like all things in life there must be a balance. Either extreme will cause death. You state one side that will cause a failure of life but you fail to mention the other extreme. Pure selfishness is just as self destructive and pure selflessness. Just imagine if everyone were purely selfish. Even the most powerful who would shoulder the weaker out of the way for their own survival would eventually be taken down by others.

If you are trying to legitimise selfishness and demonize selflessness, you really should think hard about what you are espousing.

[Daffy]

“Egoism and selfishness are virtues, in fact the greatest of all virtues, as they enable life.”

Unless the selfish egotist wants your stuff; then you are dead.

[Redcloak]

The Altruist is one who believes in salvation by works. His good works are not intended to benefit others, but rather, to purchase his own salvation.

[marsapan]

While i was raised to regard selfishness as a vice, I realized early on in my adult life that i had to be selfish to a degree in order to take care of myself...so i, in turn, could take care of my children.

[freekitty]

I am not sure selfishness is the right word to use.

[Raycpa]

To live consistently (without contradiction) requires an explicit and relentless exercising of one's capacity to determine and fulfill one's rational self interest. This is the only means for life at its highest.

Unless of course you are a Christian. Then the consistent objective is to allow God to glorify Christ in all that we do.

[HerrBlucher]

To live consistently (without contradiction) requires an explicit and relentless exercising of one's capacity to determine and fulfill one's rational self interest. This is the only means for life at its highest.

What is one's rational self interest? Hitler pursued what he believed was his self interest....to achieve a great destiny he believed was in store for him. Charles Manson pursued what he believed was his rational self interest. Hillary Clinton is pursuing what she believes is her rational self interest.

Doesn't this philosophy simply amount to "Do your own thing man", and haven't we heard that before with the failed hippie movement?

[mjp]

The Objectivist ethics proudly advocates and upholds rational selfishness – which means: the values required for man’s survival qua man – which means: the values required for human survival –not the values produced by the desires, the emotions , the ”aspirations,” the feelings, the shims or the needs of irrational brutes, who have never outgrown the primordial practice of human sacrifices, have never discovered an industrial society and can conceive of no self-interest but that of grabbing the loot of the moment.

The Objectivist ethics holds that human good does not require human sacrifices and cannot be achieved by the sacrifice of anyone to anyone. It holds that the rational interests of men do not clash – that there is no conflict of interests among men who do not desire the unearned , who do not make sacrifices nor accept them, who deal with one another as traders, giving value for value.

Ayn Rand, The Objectivist Ethics, The Virtue of Selfishness, 28;pb 31

[HangnJudge]

One can not love another person without first loving them self
You cannot love another person more than you love yourself

What saves a Christian in this context
is an awareness of where all love comes from

If the Lord loves me, I must love myself
End of Story
If the Lord loves you, I must love you
End of Story

It is very simple from that context

[Matchett-PI]

“..The whole point of free market capitalism is that it acknowledges self-interest and greed at the outset, providing it a with pro-social outlet without anyone having to force the issue from on high. ..”

More: http://tinyurl.com/2b3j69

[mjp]

Here is the theory of antiselfishness :

"it is thus necessary that the individual should finally come to realize that his own ego is of no importance in comparison with the existence of his nation; that the position of the individual ego is conditioned solely by the interests of the nation as a whole ... that above all the unity of a nation's spirit and will are worth far more than the freedom of the spirit and will of and individual..."

"This state of mind . which subordinates the interests of the ego to the conservation of the community , is really the first premise for every truly human culture ... the basic attitude from which such activity arises, we call - to distinguish it from egoism and selfishness - idealism. By this we understand only the individual's capacity to make sacrifices for the community, for his fellow men."

these statements were made in our century by the leader of a major Western nation. His countrymen regarded his viewpoint as uncontroversial. His political program implemented it faithfully.

The statements were made by Adolph Hitler. He was explaining the moral philosophy of Nazism.

Leonard Peikoff, The Ominous Parallels, 13

[Jorge]

Selfishness enables life and allows for happiness.

Nonsense. God created, enables and sustains ALL LIFE.

Selfishness is the antithesis of fullfillment and realization of true happiness as a human being created by God.

This has to be one of the most warped articles I have ever read.

[GOP_Thug_Mom]

Is this from the Satanic Bible? Just curious. :)

It kinda goes against an idea I strive to emulate first espoused by John the Baptist, "I must decrease so that He (Christ) may increase". I acknowledge that it will probably take me the rest of my life to achieve this, but by the Grace of God, I hope to.

Being selfish has never made me happy, and I don't see happiness in my children when they are being selfish. On the contrary, when I'm focused on my needs, I find I'm focusing on all the things I'm lacking. But when I focus on others' needs, I forget my own and "accidentally" find myself much happier and more content. Even my 12-yr-old is happier when he's doing for others as opposed to trying to get his way.

Honestly, America is the most materially blessed of all nations of nearly all times, and yet how many people are on anti-depressants?

True happiness can only be found in fulfilling the vocation that God has created us for, and doing it all for Him.

[Dave Olson]

As somebody once told me, altrusim is at the heart of evil.

If, as an altruist, I believe it's good to sacrifice myself for the sake of others, and I combine that with the belief that it's good to treat others as I wish to be treated, then I'd have no problem sacrificing others for any cause I deem to be good.

[RightWhale]

Relativity as it pertains to morality is nothing like relativity as it pertains to physics. Relativity in physics is that the law remains the same regardless of the relative viewpoint of the observer. Moral relativity means something completely backwards.