X-Message-Number: 30769
Date: Mon, 26 May 2008 05:59:16 -0400
From: "Charles Platt" <>
Subject: self interest

Now David, surely you will agree that in arguments about self
interest, it's all a matter of definition.

If I decide to give all my money to my friends before I die, because
this will make me feel good about myself and may encourage them to
rally around and perform a heroic cryopreservation, I'd say that this
is in my self-interest, wouldn't you? Many "charitable" acts benefit
the givers. Even when I give to the ACLU, I am hoping to benefit
indirectly from their general attempts to protect my rights.

You may define altruism as giving without an assurance of benefiting;
but if I perceive a strong probability of a benefit, that just as
good, for me, as one of those purely capitalistic business deals where
I take a risk of losing money instead of making it.

Or you may define altruism as an act that benefits both people, not
just me; but in my experience, most forms of selfish business acts
benefit the consumer as well as the company.

Then there is the expectation of future payback. When two dolphins
swim beside an injured dolphin to hold it up so that it doesn't drown,
they may not be purely altruistic; they may be hoping that if they get
injured, they'll get the same assistance. I believe animals make these
tradeoffs more frequently than people may imagine.

In short, I suggest the only kind of altruistic behavior that is
purely altruistic is that which brings the giver no benefit at all,
and may even hurt him--which is very rare. Our species has been
successful precisely because we maximize our benefits and pleasures.
Therefore it should be a surprise only to socialists to find that an
altruistic act can be, and often is, also a selfish act. I believe
social scientists are mistaken in trying to draw a neat line dividing
them from each other.

My own past volunteer work for cryonics is a good example. By donating
my labor, I hoped to make the cryonics organization stronger, and thus
better able to assist me personally. How would you try to disconnect
these linkages?

Charles Platt

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