do people do anything that......

[HardAttack]

Humans are inherently bad. When they do help someone, it's not purely to be helpful. Possibly it's to make themselves look good to a friend, or even as a bartering chip for a favour later in life. Sometimes, it would be so they could satisfy themselves when they felt like they needed to do some good. The only people who will ever do something purely for the benefit of others is when they are ignorant to the situation.

So feeling an urge to do good for others is bad if the act is mutually beneficial?

Not at all. You can't just donate to charity and tell everyone you did it. You're not donating to help the cause, you're donating to make yourself look like a saint.

Or lets say someone is feeling bad for something they did and they help an old man cross the street. Again, it's just to make you hate yourself less. It wasn't to help him cross a street.

Are you just looking for reactions or are you really that narrow-minded?

There are always two sides to a story, an action, a decision, etc.

Lx

Benefits can show as godly/holy values, can show in very concrete and visible.
Point is, everyone does everything for a reason.
Doing good then what reason wud that be why we do good ?
Donation we can make to have our interests over what we are donating for, or may have a very holy side of benefit we may have to be our reason.
So, my point is not to have the definition of the exact benefit what it may be, but my point is if there is a good we do, we do it for some reason for some benefit and as stated that benefit might show in many ways.

This is said, i would like to state it that selfnessless/alturism is an utopia imo, a term in litreture/theory but no chance of life in practice.

[blakebowling]

Now how'd you guys sneak this out of OT?

Moved.

[Frigidus]

The main key here is defining what is meant when we say that something benefits someone. For instance, it could be argued that any given action you take is one that you chose to do over other potential options. Simply through the act of making a choice you have gone with the option that is the most pleasing to you in some regard. I wouldn't personally look at it from that angle, but if you do then it would be by definition impossible to do something that doesn't benefit you.

[/]

I believe that most of the time, humans act naturally, they do what they do without thought to an underlying justification of pleasure or benefit. Life is not a novel, not everything must have some sort of narration to it.

Sometimes people will just hear a noise; perhaps a loud bang or the howl of an animal, then rush right to it for no reason. They aren't defending their territory, worried for someone's safety, or looking to become a hero, sometimes people just to do things because they happen to be there.

For a personal example, I have absolutely no affection for bugs, I don't feel the slightest bit of remorse if I squash one. Oftentimes though, I will go out of my way to capture one and set it free outside. I don't feel any better when I do, I do not believe its life had any significance, nor do I believe that it changes anything in any way. I can honestly say that I don't pay the slightest thought as to why I do it.

Can anyone really say they're never done a single thing without any reason? You've never looked at a book on a counter, moved it a few inches then walked away?

[patches70]

People pretty much do everything for one of two reasons-
To gain pleasure
or
To avoid pain.

In any activity where one perceives that the pain overcomes the pleasure, then that one will stop what it is they may be doing. For example smoking. Everyone knows smoking is bad for you, but smokers get some sort of pleasure from the habit. The pleasure outweighs the pain to them. When the pain finally outweighs the pleasure, then one will have a decent chance of quitting smoking.

This applies to drugs, working, choosing partners, pretty much everything in life.

Pleasure and pain, and the mixing of the two concepts are the underlying justification for everything each of us does. Though we may not ever admit it to ourselves.

[Dukasaur]

I used to believe that altruism was a nonsensical concept. Influenced perhaps a little too much in my younger days by Ayn Rand, I thought that all people acting in apparently altruistic modes were phoneys, second-handers seeking the approval of others instead of living for themselves.

I just don't believe that any more. First, I've seen too many things in my own life that contradict that theory. Second, I've seen research studies by behavioural psychologists who have confirmed with well-designed experiments that altruistic act do occur, that sometimes people will do nice things for others even if they think that nobody is watching. Third, there's irrefutable proof of altruism in lower animals, and since human behaviour is just a fancy and complicated form of animal behaviour, I see no reason why anything seen in lower animals wouldn't be seen in humans.

[BigBallinStalin]

I used to believe that altruism was a nonsensical concept. Influenced perhaps a little too much in my younger days by Ayn Rand, I thought that all people acting in apparently altruistic modes were phoneys, second-handers seeking the approval of others instead of living for themselves.

I just don't believe that any more. First, I've seen too many things in my own life that contradict that theory. Second, I've seen research studies by behavioural psychologists who have confirmed with well-designed experiments that altruistic act do occur, that sometimes people will do nice things for others even if they think that nobody is watching. Third, there's irrefutable proof of altruism in lower animals, and since human behaviour is just a fancy and complicated form of animal behaviour, I see no reason why anything seen in lower animals wouldn't be seen in humans.

How would you define altruism?

RE: second example, if the do-gooder felt good while being 'altruistic', then is really being altruistic? There would be direct self-interest involved...

RE: third example, is there altruism? Or are there events which we label as "altruistic"? Are animals ever personified, thus given traits/concepts which may not accurately apply to them?

And getting beyond definition, can we ever determine if one act is 100% altruistic?

[notyou2]

Mr HA am going to attempt to relate this to CC as I believe was your intent though not directly addressed in your role as OP or thread creator. Would hate to see this moved to off topic and a more mono-brow respondent group.

Do people act selfishly in all their actions on CC? Let me postulate on one of the most important things for me on the site. Clans

I have been a member of 4clans now.
Founding co leader of Dark Defenders
Member of Imperial Britain
Helped make BoFM a strong competitive force for some time
Recently moved to the little island of Atlantis

Looking objectively at my participation in clans, I would have to say that my motivations have largely been selfish. I would like to think that I would invest time and energy in helping other members of my clan, promoting the clans interests and profile and other duties/tasks for zero return. I don't think that is the case though. I am a member of clan because of the net benefits.
- Access to quality account sitters
- Experienced team mates for - advice, medal hunting, point accumulation
- Commardary
- Add on benefits such as sigs, avatar pics, etc
All these benefits are why I'm in a clan. I am selfish I guess.

You belong in DBC.

[Gillipig]

The main key here is defining what is meant when we say that something benefits someone. For instance, it could be argued that any given action you take is one that you chose to do over other potential options. Simply through the act of making a choice you have gone with the option that is the most pleasing to you in some regard. I wouldn't personally look at it from that angle, but if you do then it would be by definition impossible to do something that doesn't benefit you.

We are the way we are because being the way we are benefited our ancestors. (Read that sentence again lol.) We have a brain that does what it does because it benefited our ancestors to have such a brain. For example, helping random strangers actually did benefit our ancestors as everyone they met they were likely to meet again. It doesn't now of course, as a stranger most likely won't be around to repay/help/praise/mate with you/ back. As it also happens, fooling yourself that you are capable of doing things for others altruistically was beneficial, while now in principal it just makes you waste resources you could otherwise use better. But of course it is never that easy because if donating 10 dollars a month to a charity fills you with a tremendous amount of confidence and self respect then that is probably a good idea from a pure selfish view as well.