X-Message-Number: 17043
Date: Sat, 21 Jul 2001 00:45:46 -0700
From: Lee Corbin <>
Subject: What is a selfish act?

Scott Badger and Robert Ettinger have made it clear
that no one is going to tell them what they can and
cannot *call* "selfish"  :-)

Here, then, is a specific challenge.  You are driving
on a very busy street in a huge metropolis that you've
never been to before, and probably never will visit 
again.  The traffic on this street is backed up for a
block, at least.  You are about five car lengths from an
intersection.  Now the light changes to green, and the
traffic starts to move.

At this point you notice someone in a car to your right
trying to get out of a parking lot onto the street.  Your
options are to ignore this person, or allow him or her to
go before you.  If you ignore this person, and all the 
people behind you do the same, then in principle that
individual may have to wait for hours before the traffic
subsides to the point that he or she has the right of way.

Now quite a few people, on occasion, will allow such a
car to go in front of them.  Would you?  Whether you
personally ever do such things or not, how do you
explain the actions of people who do?

I do not want to hear lame, unrealistic answers like
"well, I might do it, but it would be for a selfish
reason---if I'm nice to that person, then he or she
will be nice to someone else [faulty logic!], and 
eventually it would get back to benefit me".  No, as
I said, you are in a very, very large city that you
never intend to visit again (sorry to be so thorough
here).

Also very feeble is the reason, "Well, I did it in 
order to feel good."  Well, duh!  EVERYTHING that
people do could be written off with such reasoning,
e.g., "I, Sidney Carton, do willingly give up my
life for my friend Entremonde---not out of love or
honor---heavens no!  Instead, it is a far, far more
selfish thing that I do, than I have ever done before,
and a far more self-interested rest that I go to...
than I have ever gone before".   [Absurd]

Nothing is more comical than to hear libertarians try
to rationalize every genuine act of kindness they do,
as something committed for their own self-interest.
The excuses they make!  The hoops they jump through!

Lee

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