Search Results: interest in a computer guy

This is something that was brought up in a class today (which is ironically supposed to be about computers, information and society, but I’ll leave how we got to this discussion out of the question).

Quite a few people brought up some interesting points during the discussion that had me thinking for a while.

One student claimed that, yes, selfless acts do exist. He stated that the people running into burning buildings on 9/11 in order to save others weren’t doing it for what they would gain, but simply because they were trying to help others. The professor countered with the fact that most of the people running into the buildings were firemen, and it was their job (and essentially, they get paid for doing their job). But what about the people who weren’t firemen and firewomen who went to great lengths to help others on that day, sometimes even at the expense of their own lives?

Other students claimed that no, selfless acts don’t exist. Even if one appears very altruistic, often times people say that helping others makes them “feel good”. Thus, if they feel good from helping others, are they not helping others in order to give themselves that good feeling? Is it then a selfish act?

One student claimed that in crisis situations, helping others isn’t even a conscious thought, because we’ve evolved with the “protect the herd” mentality. One guy even shared a story of his that involved him traveling overseas and coincidentally helping someone who was being attacked by a pack of dogs. He claimed he didn’t do it because he wanted to gain anything, but that it was just instinctual.

One girl said that some people claim that they help others because they know that if THEY ever needed help, they would want someone to do the same for them. Is that then a selfish act?

I’m a wee bit torn. I suppose for me, it depends on the situation and the kind of mental state that person has while IN that situation. For example, if someone comes to me asking for advice, I will probably not feel the same need to help as I would if someone were in a life threatening situation and I was in a position to help (hopefully that makes sense). Also, when I do help others (and it is not life threatening), yes, it does make me feel good... but it is usually an afterthought, nor do I think it makes me a selfish person.

I think selfless acts do exist, but they depend entirely on the situation and the people involved. I know we’ve probably all heard of countless news stories that suggest selfless acts do exist... but for the most, most acts that end up helping others do usually end up benefitting the person who committed the act to begin with. Whether the act was done with that benefit in mind is up for debate.

But have a go at it – I’d love to hear what the rest of you think. But for goodness’ sake, when I say “have a go at it”, I do not mean have a go at each other. Keep it mature and respectful. Muchas gracias.