User talk:Atcovi/Ethics/Lecture2

Week #2 - Part 1 Discussion: Egoism
Do you think it is ever possible to help someone and not receive anything in return (i.e. no reward, no good feeling, no fulfillment of desire)? Use the reading to support your opinion one way or the other.

—Atcovi (Talk - Contribs) 01:23, 26 December 2022 (UTC)
 * I do not think it is possible at all for a human being to do something and not receive some sort of compensation. Obviously, this may be in terms of physical reward: such as money, a pat on the back, or chocolate. If there is an absence of physical reward, then the reward lies in oneself. This may be under the lines of receiving a "good feeling", which could be a fulfillment of personal desire. The good feeling serves as a basis for every human being's actions. Without some sort of reward, a human being would not act in favor of another person.


 * An example would be helping an old lady walk across the street. The "selfish" aspect is that the reward is far more desirable than the action itself. If you were to receive absolutely no reward, such as monetary value, a feeling of fulfillment, or an avoidance of massive guilt, you would not do this action. If the old lady tips you $20 for your good act, that is the reward that you'll be satisfied with. If there is no monetary value, you have fulfilled a desire and avoided massive regret. This feeling is more powerful than the act of helping the old lady itself, therefore - it is, technically, "selfish" in nature.


 * To look into the reading, pages 74-75 detail the story of Abraham Lincoln lifting pigs away from mud and into the bank. As to why he did such a thing when he really didn't have to, Lincoln explains that he was looking to avoid considerable guilt. The reading asks good questions: "If Lincoln "got peace of mind" from rescuing the piglets, does this show him to be selfish, or, on the contrary, doesn't it show him to be compassionate and good-hearted?". The answer to this is that one can still be externally compassionate while being internally selfish. Lincoln clearly replies that he saved the pigs to "get [a] peace of mind, don't you see?". This indicates that Lincoln's main motive was to save himself from dealing with extreme guilt and/or regret. Since Lincoln's bigger focus was to save himself from dispair rather than the pigs, this is technically "selfish" of Lincoln. Although the selfish act doesn't devoid Lincoln of goodness or compassion in his actions. The very fact of his selfish tendency to protect himself from guilt by saving others show that he is a good-hearted person, albeit selfish in that he is looking out for himself before others.

—Atcovi (Talk - Contribs) 02:26, 29 December 2022 (UTC)