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Selfishness as Virtue


Postby Andy » Feb 25, 2005 @ 2:05am

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Postby sandmann » Feb 25, 2005 @ 3:04am

I understand that these are conditioned behaviors. My point is that I don't see how you can call these conditioned behaviors selfish. I also know that you don't think all the way through something when you do it (I think I even said as much), and that's part of my point: if you don't reason through a decision, (1) how can you even determine someone's motivation for doing something, and (2) even if you could, how could you just assume that their intent is a selfish one?

Although I do agree that I've done a very poor job articulating my argument thus far.
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Postby Brig » Feb 26, 2005 @ 6:17am

If your conditioned behaviors form as a result of selfishness, then the acts that result from those behaviors are rooted in selfishness. Look at infants, they are supremely selfish.
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Postby sandmann » Feb 26, 2005 @ 6:36am

Yes but infants lack higher faculties which I would argue are the source of selfless acts. I think that the only possible selfless acts ARE conditioned over time and DO result from an ability to reason on a higher plane. You can't act on abstractions of what is "right" without being able to reason abstractly.
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Postby Brig » Feb 26, 2005 @ 7:49am

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Postby sandmann » Feb 26, 2005 @ 5:26pm

The fates lead him who will;
Him who won't, they drag.

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Postby Maf54 » Feb 26, 2005 @ 5:32pm

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Postby sandmann » Feb 26, 2005 @ 5:36pm

The fates lead him who will;
Him who won't, they drag.

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Postby Maf54 » Feb 26, 2005 @ 6:52pm

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Postby Brig » Feb 26, 2005 @ 8:12pm

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Postby sandmann » Feb 26, 2005 @ 8:34pm

The fates lead him who will;
Him who won't, they drag.

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Postby Maf54 » Feb 26, 2005 @ 8:39pm

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Postby Brig » Feb 26, 2005 @ 9:07pm

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Postby sandmann » Feb 26, 2005 @ 10:56pm

Yeah, it's the argument that's more important than the outcome, but I'm just not getting that "my opponent is such a fucking idiot, doesn't he know I'm always right? maybe I should insult him a few times..." kinda vibe that I like in arguments normally, so unless something else peaks my interest, I'll put to rest this line of discussion. But please, someone else step in. Maybe I'll find something to attack in what you say.
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Him who won't, they drag.

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Postby James S » Feb 26, 2005 @ 11:15pm

And this is why I have yet to read Ayn Rand ... and do not intend to.
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