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RE: What Are The Motives Around Being Charitable?
That's a really refreshing perspective and I think I get it. Our selfish reasons; moral obligations, reward factors, feel good factors, and love (examples) drive us to make charitable actions. If it's not for selfish reasons, then it's for other factors that would not give the empathic social kudos it deserves. It is rubber stamping the symptom not the cause. Am I on the right track with your thinking ?
100% :)
Does your thoughts on the matter correspond with that?
Yes, actually it does. I think you have hit the nail on the head with something that was floating around my mind. I'm really chuffed lol, as it makes perfect sense!
Awesome! I'm very glad it does :)
I think the reason it's been floating around in your head not fitting entirely into place could be because we've been learned that selfishness is BAD. So, then when we constantly go around and do selfish things, we feel this weird disconnect or something - like something is weird or not right.
It's one of those things that when you stop and put the piece into the puzzle, it all makes sense. Rational selfishness is NOT bad! Aha! Eureka. Making ME happy and content is first priority - always. Does that mean going around hitting random people? Pissing in the penny-cup of some beggar? No, of course not. That would not make me happy. Feeling good about yourself does not come from putting other people down, or destroying that of others. Even in rational selfishness and capitalism - or should I say, especially in those things - selfishness and rationality does affect everyone in the best possible way. Doesn't mean it's always perfect, no one ever gets hurt or someone never feels bad about something..sure. But it means that I take rational decisions as often as I can, and I weigh the decision.."will this make my life better or worse? Will it make that persons life better or worse? Will me sacrificing just a little bit in this situation have a big impact on me? No? But it will give me some social "cred"? Sure, I'll do it. I'll bring some smiles on your faces. I like smiles. I like people who are happy because of me. That makes ME feel good as well. What a happy bunch we are :)
You should do a post on this as I find it is a fascinating philosophy. Is selfishness a bad thing?...