Often attacks of selfishness are leveled against anyone acting in their own benefit as if no one should care for themselves. I propose that there is a difference between selfishness and self-interest.
What constitutes selfishness? Simply said, selfishness is acting in your benefit without regard, and often harming, other individuals. An example of selfishness would be stealing an old lady's purse, which contained the money she needed for her medications and food for the month; a milder case of selfishness would be not paying your full share of the bill between you and your roommate. Obviously, living by selfishness is not an ideal for society.
On the other hand, self-interest helps society prosper. Self-interest is acting in your benefit, but with consideration of others needs and a lack of harm towards others. Self-interest for an individual, company, or nation is necessary for survival. An example of self-interest would be an apple farmer trading a crate of apples for a metalworker’s pruner. Both individuals are happy with the result. They have cared for themselves, but not harmed anyone in the transaction.
These two behaviors affect individuals, companies, and nations to a great extent. Based on these behaviors, individuals ruin and build relationships, companies lose or turn a profit through business decisions, and nations fall and rise from economic policies.
Selfishness and self-interest affect individual relationships conversely. If everyone were to act selfishly, trust would break down between individuals as people were betrayed. However, if everyone were to act in their self-interest, relationships would build as beneficial transactions occur.
Companies often need to make decisions regarding employees, shareholders, and other businesses. If a company rips any of these people off through selfishness, they will eventually fall. However, a company acting in its self-interest, but caring about others will build interdependence in the economy, earn a trusted, respected reputation, and prosper.
Selfishness ruins a free market; self-interest creates a free market. Selfishness can be displayed in an economic system though cronyism. Cronyism is a free market where regulation exists to help certain companies who have put politicians into power. Self-interest does not result in cronyism; it is the necessary ingredient for free markets. Cronyism is the capitalist system where the workers are exploited; cronyism is the capitalist system that Marx and Engels condemned.
Selfishness and self-interest work together through individuals, companies, and nations to either produce a grand society, or a ruined one. However, each company and country needs individuals to speak up in favor of self-interest. It all starts with one.
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6 hours ago
7 comments:
I would say that if one is in touch with one's spirit, then one's self-interest is not any different that the interest of everyone. "We're all in this together" means there is only one interest that produces the highest good for everyone, even though in any given moment many might not be aware of that interest.
Ego-vested interest, on the other hand, is out of touch with one's spirit ... psychologically on purpose. What is the ego? A imaginative dream of what or who you really are, a self-image not in touch with reality. Such a self-image can look like grandiosity or victimhood. Neither is true. Acting in the interest of an untrue image of oneself is what most people call "selfishness."
Most dictionaries do not differentiate between "self-interest" and "selfishness", and neither did Ayn Rand. Selfishness is not a bad thing, it can only be perceived as bad when it is corrupted into something less.
Phlembol, you are an intelligent being. Perhaps your perspective can help us resolve this issue?
I believe there is a difference where others may not have seen it before. Like most descriptive qualities there is a scale of degree. Selfishness and Self-interest are the same. I have used these words because selfishness has a negative connotation and it is easier to not fight a connotation, and self-interest does not have the negative connotation.
As you yourself said, "Selfishness is not a bad thing, it can only be perceived as bad when it is corrupted into something less." I take it you meant that the ideal of selfishness (acting in your self-interest) is good (I agree, but use the word self-interest), but that there is a degree that is not producing good (my choice of words being the selfishness side of the scale).
I eagerly await your thoughts on this weighty matter.
It's interesting that phlembol referenced Ayn Rand because as I was reading this entry, I thought of some of the books I've read by Nathanial Branden (the two used to be partners/lovers).
My tattered, flagged copy of Six Pillars of Self-Esteem has the following passage highlighted on page 121:
"It often takes courage to honor what we want and to fight for it. For many people, self-surrender and self-sacrifice are far easier. They do not require the integrity and responsiblity that intelligent selfishness requires."
The paradox of that statement compared to what society sees as 'honorable' really struck me.
The negative image of selfishness comes from an incomplete understanding of what it means.
I like that statement about intelligent selfishness requiring integrity and responsibility. The way I see it, intelligent selfishness is good for everyone. Everyone of integrity that is. Those who desire and strive to be on the receiving end of altruism will not agree of course.
(Charities considered: It is in my interest to see you succeed. In the big picture of things, if you don't do well, it drags me down a bit also. With that in mind, I can justify investing in the efforts of others at times when there will be no immediate return in a business sense. Selfishness does not preclude charity and compassion.)
Selfishness does not drive me to cheat or steal because that would end me up in trouble, and even if I don't get caught, it weighs on the mind and spirit. That is obviously not in my best interest. Unprincipled selfishness is shallow and self-destructive and therefore not ideal selfishness.
In hard and pure selfishness, what I accomplish must be earned honestly. It is the fruit of my labors alone, and I can be unapologetically proud of what I have accomplished. And if everyone felt that way, what a better place this would be.
Chris and phlembol, I agree with your basic position. Our differences are mere discrepancies in vocabulary. I realize that selfishness has a negative connotation and words do not generally gain a better connotation. I also realize that there are varying levels of selfish/self-interested behavior. Therefore, I choose to use the word selfishness to designate the foolish method or in your words:
"Unprincipled selfishness is shallow and self-destructive and therefore not ideal selfishness".
I had an art teacher give me a term that I think suits your vision of ethics (at least in this post) well. She called it "enlightened self-interest." It's the kind of self-interest that feels no guilt in getting that promotion over the other guy, but is also content to shovel snow for the old lady next door.
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