So I was driving home at about midnight the other day and I saw a van on the side of the road with an obvious blowout. Without thinking i pulled over to make sure everyone was ok. It turned out to be a man and is very pregnant wife, neither of whom spoke a lick of English. The man managed to communicate the fact that they were fine but had no jack, so once again without thinking I grabbed my jack and spent about 20 minutes or so helping him change his tire. As i was driving off it occurred to me that i went out of my way to help this person and got absolutely nothing tangible in return. As someone who doesn’t at the moment believe in god or an after life (and has serous doubts about the existence of right and wrong) there seems to be no logical explication for what I did yet I did it and I probably would do it again without a second thought. Even though it is out of my way and I am putting myself at risk in the process (freeways are not wise places to stop in southern California). Am I crazy? Am I a product of social conditioning? Or am I totally missing something? (for now i choose crazy)
Well, the idea is that the more people that are like that, the more people want to be like that, the more people are like that, the more people get help/give help, the higher chance you have of getting help. See, helping others is perfectly selfish. 
that is a rationalisation rather than an answer
i like that in theory, but statisticly the chances of that comming back to help me are mind bogglingly small. It seems that my time could have been better spent persuing some other self intrest is i am more likely to wreap the rewards of.
But they’re only mind-bogglingly small as long as everyone knows that. If everyone thought it increased their chances greatly, and helped everyone, then it would indeed increase the chances greatly… then again… you may not ever need help like that. I know how you feel man. You’re not a psycho… deep down, I think everyone is secretly selfish depraved pathetic and ugly, at least in great part. It’s okay though, because we all suck equally! After all, that’s what they made religion for, eh?
no…you’re just selfish.
Not at all. Everything we do is selfish. Everything. Name one thing that you consider selfless. Lemme take a look at it. Besides, selfishness isn’t necessarily bad.
Clearing up other people’s mess. Someone else messed up the living room, I cleared it up. This was selfless as I don’t really care either way, it makes me no happier that the living room is tidy.
‘selfishness’ is based on a nonsense notion of the self which cannot be defended. It is simply part of the individualistic culture most of us live in.
You picked up someone elses mess because it didn’t take much effort and because you like it being cleaner more than you like it being messier. It probably was easier for you to pick it up then call them over and have them do it.
I think the selfish (gene) arguement goes something like this:
A gene for/or predisposing one toward altruistic behavior patterns (ie: behavior resulting in a loss/risk for the individual but a gain for the recievee) does well in large famillies - ie: the risk of one altruistic gene holder which results in a benefit for many carriers of the same gene would tend to promote the existance of said gene in the genepool. However there is a problem for the individual in identifying others who carry the same gene - unless it were coupled with another ‘marker’ gene (eg: a green stripe in people with the altruistic gene’s hair). But if it were thusly marked - this would make it vunerable to exploitation of altruism by those without the altruistic gene - but with the marker gene. ie: they get the benefit of altruism, but without the penalties of being naturally altruisticly inclined toward others. So the non-altruistic ‘liar’ genes would overtake the pure altruistic genes.
So altuism hides its head.
Anyway - your altruism reflex made a few subconscious value judgements:
To stop. Its midnight - a time of danger 
- but also of less traffic. This also heightens the plight of the van-people - less passers by - putting more onus on you to stop. (ie: you can’t excuse yourself by saying “oh someone else will probably stop if I don’t”) I daresay you cruised past and parked in front to take a squint at who was there and acess the risk…?
To help: A guy with a pregnant wife is a pretty good risk - he has more to lose than you if violence erupts. You probably also checked out his size, body language, and position relative to yourself.
Low risk judgement reached - so you helped him. It cost you relatively little - and you are rewarded by feeling like a ‘nice person’. Plus - by retelling this story in a public situation - everyone now thinks “what a nice guy…!” And is therefore more likely to sleep with you and produce offspring…
Beneficial indeed.
Exactly. If not for those things, the human race would be completely worthless as a whole, and never be able to accomplish anything anyway. So goodwill is really selfish and otherwise influenced outside of altruism. Maybe altruism could be redefined as something that you do simply for the euophoric “I’m a good person” feeling without any other reasons influencing it (which is probably rare and near impossible anyway).
Had you not said this ins reply to my “no…you’re just selfish” so no, ido not need to name or list any selfless act because all is for the self at consideration.
I agree, all is well when everybody is selfish. Or atleast it seems to fine for now.
Selfishness makes the world go round. And yeah I was kinda cunfumuzzliating with what I said. The way you said selfish you made it sound… accusatory as opposed to as-a-matter-of-factly. lol. Just me reading funny at 2 am.
I wonder what a world would be like where nobody had a sense of self… no languages had the word for I… Like a technologically advanced non-sentient race. It’d be good science fiction.
the fact that you have to ask about your sanity just shows the extent of your social conditioning… if only everyone would stop and help… and how many cars sped past you while you were stopped? 10,000? why didn’t they stop too? they must have been really insane or not conditioned as you were…
-Imp
If no body helped one another how would the world be?
this is open ended but i would like to explain what i think.
We wouldnt have schools. We wouldnt have education. Everyone would have to build their own houses, do their own labor, plant his/her own plants. with no body to help. Everyone would have social disorders. Everyone would be in constant war. We would never advance…
I can go on forever but id rather you think about it.
Exactly. One could write some good SF on that. (lol ;-P)
(also, hasooni, why is your avatar the mozilla thunderbird logo?)
Youd rather be noble?
Because nobility does not come from lineage or descent, rather it comes from actions and behavior.
And me, i personally do not like selfish friends. If i was by a friend and i had 1 peice of candy i would offer it to him and leave me with no candy no matter how much i love that candy.
lol
the mozzila thunder bird is COOOL
they do have to build their own houses… unless they pay for outside labor…
we are in a state of constant war (life itself is war) and that is the only way we do advance… necessity is the mother of invention, not peace
-Imp
Yeh we would, i would only have to pay someone and then there would be a reason for him to do it.