Without people being self interested, we wouldn't exist. Without people being altruistic, we wouldn't either.

Biologically, it makes the most sense to be altruistic when the people you are helping are closely related to you. The farther they drift from you genetically, the less sense it makes to help them. In a country, it makes the most sense to be altruistic to the people who share your beliefs and culture. There's a hierarchy of who you should help.

People are both an animal and something higher. I do believe we are made in God's image. If not, the only thing that would matter was passing your genes on and that just barely.

Keith

No.... if you actually read Ayn Rand you'd know that is no where near the truth. People like us.... people of our ancestry.... want to be GOOD.... we want to be good at what we do. We want to be.......Egotistical. You wanna run the best dam plant in TX. I wanna make people, including myself, rich. Newhouse114 makes the best dang Ivory traps in the world. Nessmuck makes the best sourdough. And if everyone does the best they can (because they want to) and sell or trade the things they produce for those things that they don't....... well..... that's capitalism.

META sells social media. Apple sells the phone you use. Nvidia sells the chips to make that possible. Each company selfishly doing the the best it can........ and it benefits the whole world! What if Nvidia didn't care about making a profit??? What if Apple didn't??? Selfishness is what DRIVES creation!! Without it there would be NO creation. WHY create something if not for your personal gain???

Will you spend a thousand dollars creating a coyote lure and then distribute it to anyone here that asks for it.... for free?? Of course not!

That's so AI it stinks!

….I quoted your post Yote

…. Then it said something about “for readability “

…anyway I copied my response

… here it is for all anyone cares lol

quote]

…. Of course that’s right

..but it was only achievable after people of a common bond built the societies that made these things possible

… I don’t think we necessarily disagree

… maybe just disagree that preserving western culture is key to the idea that selfishness could be sustainable ?

…. Like if this country was suddenly majority Haitan overnight….your stock portfolio wouldn’t be worth much

…am I missing something here ?

This is getting very weird , not going to be part of it until the site is back to normal.

Lol! Right on!

"but it was only achievable after people of a common bond built the societa that made these things possible"

Ok. But WHY did they do that??? Why did they build that society?? Why did the first American head west to trap beaver? Why did so many run to CA and later AK to seek gold? WHY did CA and AK become states??? Why did the last American homesteader leave a life of leisure to chop out a living in the brutal interior of AK? I'll tell you what it wasn't. It wasn't the altruism Keith is jabbering about lol.

You gotta do something about those jeans man!

…. Because that’s what white boys do … and have done throughout history

…. Now they’re taught that they are no better than anyone else … and act like it

…. It’s over

…. So your selfishness will be temporary

… I think we need to focus on repairing our culture… so we can be great again

… like all the examples you gave

It's both. Nobody accomplished any of that alone, nor could they. The answer to most things is both. Balance is crucial.

A huge motivation, for most people is to make life better for their families, followed by for their friends and then other people, less and less, as the connections become more distant. If people also didn't take care of themselves, that would not be possible.

Keith

Good point , just wait it out!

…. I hear you JP lol

…. Got a couple new pairs recently…. They’re a stone washed line of denim…very fashionable lol

And to do that....... you need to teach your offspring.....to be selfish.

…. Well I think people in positions of influence might have a problem with that lol

Soldiers make no sense if every decision is supposed to be what's best for you. Police officers, firemen and many other occupations would make no sense either.

Biologically, it makes sense to sacrifice yourself if it means a sufficient number of people carrying your genes survive to pass them on.

In cultures, for most of time, people were related enough to make sacrificing yourself for the culture, biologically logical too.

Humans share over 99% of genetic material with each other. Humans also share 99% of their DNA with chimpanzees. What's left in that 1%, is the most important part of what makes you, you.

Culture is still of great importance, even without common close biology.

People are the result of nature, nurture and something divine, some more so than others.

Keith

I understand taking care of your immediate family...... because you WANT to. It makes you happy. You do that because it makes you happy and that is selfishness, not altruism.

Beyond your immediate family.... altruism is poison. How many young men and women have thrown away their dreams because it wasn't what their parents wanted for them? They were altruistic and it ruined their lives.

It's fine to be charitable if doing so brings you joy. But to give.... whether in money, or time, or emotions.... due to some forced sense of altruism.... is deadly. It is exactly what liberals campaign on....

Teach them to be selfish enough to BECOME the people in positions of influence.....

Not true. Soldiers do what they do because it's best for them. They do it because they want to matter. Do they want to help the country? Of course. But THEY want to help the country.

…. And that’s exactly what I’m doing

… you haven’t picked up on that yet ? lol

No. It seems you're doing the opposite....