On Humanity

[TheLonelySkeptic]

Other than the obvious (self-sacrifice), can you name one thing that we as human beings do or could do that is completely selfless?

-OR-

Do you agree with the premise that nothing we humans do is completely selfless?

Short and sweet.

 

[Knight]

Let me think about this one. . .

 

[Unacceptance]

Kill each other accidentally.

Also, sacrifice is pretty often a selfish act.

 

[heretostay]

You're talking about hedonism vs altruism. I believe every act is hedonistic.

 

[joanmcf]

I think once you disconnect from your separate sense of self (your ego), your actions would automatically become selfless. You're not doing things for just yourself anymore but for the "oneness" or the "connectedness".

 

[otaku tom]

I don't think anything anyone ever does is completely selfless.That's just how we humans are.

 

[Nyktimos]

I think once you disconnect from your separate sense of self (your ego), your actions would automatically become selfless. You're not doing things for just yourself anymore but for the "oneness" or the "connectedness".

I would like to agree with that. Most of us these days remain spoilt children, and the problems of our childhood govern our actions. But my instinct still says that we are always looking for some long term gain for ourselves.

 

[wolfshadow]

Try as I might, I cannot conceive that there is any thought or action in mankind that can truly be defined as selfless.
Even something as dramatic as divesting the individual ego for the greater whole, is still part of a criteria focused on self-improvement - which by virtue of it's very nature, cannot be considered altruistic.

 

[Bodom]

I think humans are naturally self-serving, it comes from our evolution- in many species it is each for their own, survival of the fittest and all that. Every action we do is to improve ourselves, or improve our standing with others, or give us satisfaction. Often it isn't even concious- we think we are being selfless, but actually it is self-serving in its own way.