PTotW (Philosophical Topic of the Week)

There is no such thing as a selfless good deed.

Discuss.

Because the world is not this utopian paradise. It's not either or, but everything in between.

Yep. Because human nature makes us always put ourselves first.

I disagree. The last person I give a damn about is myself, so why would I do something to benefit me? I have given to others with nothing expected in return. I actually do it almost daily running a few websites for my church/organizations and I do it for free. I do plenty of things for others that I expect nothing and get nothing out of.

It make you feel good doesn't it?

I don't do it to feel good, it's just something I do.

I believe you. But you’re getting something out of it even if you’re not doing it for that reason. The only way that anything could be an unselfish act is if you were to do it unconsciously. That’s what I think anyways.

I don’t think that doing things for free and helping others is selfish, I just think that nothing cannot be selfish. Like everything has an effect on everything else. Like you doing websites for your church. You’re doing that to help out and be nice but in actuality you’re improving your skills as a web designer at the same time. Even if you’re not doing it for that reason.

I can't think of a way that anyone can do a good deed without having some type of a possitive impact on yourself.

That's what I think. Probably wrong. But there's my two cents.

Like you doing websites for your church. You’re doing that to help out and be nice but in actuality you’re improving your skills as a web designer at the same time.

Eh no. My skills are now beyond what I have put forth in these sites. My skills are HTML/Flash, PHP, MySQL and beyond. The sites I run for the church/organizations are the basic of HTML. Stuff I started with many years ago.

People don't seem to grasp this concept. Join Mr. "the world is against me", but I gain nothing. My church, once in about 6-10 months, gives me a tad of money, but that's their doing to "pay" me for the work I do (maybe $100). It's never expected and I worked the church site for more than a year before that even started. What they pay might cover 1 week of the last 2-3 years of work I've done, so profiting or gaining is laughable.

I do it because I WANT to. Deal with it. Get over it.

Maybe there are selfless acts. I don't know. I think the human nature prevents such a thing. But I don't see this as a bad thing. I mean what if you do something nice for somoene and have some hidden agenda - like seeming a good guy? Does the person for whom you did it proffits less? Does it lower the quality of the act? I don't think we are selfless in nature - the very word means - without self.... - well we do have selfs - souls that crave attention. It is the thing that separates us from animals.
Self - conscience - self - preservation - self....- you name it - we got it. It is the very thing that those guys in church are trying to save in you BadBod...your self. If you do self-less things for the church does it not forfeit the act in some way? I don't think they intend the 100$ they give you as payment. Your work for them should be payment in itself and they most assuredly know this. I think the 100$ they give you from time to time is more a recognition of your needs and a way to thank you even if it's unnecessary. The fact that you never expected payment credits you but have you stopped to think about the fact that maybe the very work you did was retribution? Also from what I hear (I'm a vociferous agnostic myself) - a church is like an extended family - stuff you do for family doesn't count as selfless - it's besides the point - because what you do for the family is a response rooted
into your very essence - self-preservation... It serves to protect and to advance your family - thus obeying a prime need instilled in out cells...

also there are lots of payments that have to do with the self thing - when your'e not getting paid I mean -
self-esteem
self-praise...

I think we are not yet that advanced to claim being selfless

Originally posted by FlackBait
I believe you. But you’re getting something out of it even if you’re not doing it for that reason. The only way that anything could be an unselfish act is if you were to do it unconsciously. That’s what I think anyways.

I don’t think that doing things for free and helping others is selfish, I just think that nothing cannot be selfish. Like everything has an effect on everything else. Like you doing websites for your church. You’re doing that to help out and be nice but in actuality you’re improving your skills as a web designer at the same time. Even if you’re not doing it for that reason.

I can't think of a way that anyone can do a good deed without having some type of a possitive impact on yourself.

That's what I think. Probably wrong. But there's my two cents.

I know exactly what I was getting at. I agree with you completely. Anything you do for another, even in secret, makes you feel good, so in the end you gained something (intangible as it may be). The only way I think you can truly do a selfless good deed is if you have no idea that what you did was good.

If anyone is up for a good read (a long-ish short story) read Bartleby, the Scrivener.



Here is a quote from the beneficiary of one of the main characters after he does something good for someone else:

"Here I may cheaply purchase delicious self approval."