Humans are inherently selfish creatures. Agree or Disagree?

[HawkPerception]

Agree

Disagree

[DishLady]

Hmm. The truth is trapped somewhere in the middle. Here's why:

• We're born into the world without a sense of "social"... we're just cold, shocked, vulnerable and needing constant attention.
• A good parent will ease a child into a more social reality. A less savvy parent will keep a child more isolated and spoil them by continuing the constant doting and attention.
• As a child is socialized, he/she needs to learn about "OTHER" and mindfulness... this should happen around the time the child learns more about how people and things respond and react. It's REALLY simple, mostly involuntary, and children pick up more than adults do... verbal language, body language, sensory input, etc. etc.
• Long story short, a mindful adult who thinks about how his/her reactions impact others is raised to be that way from early on. SOME people try to acquire mindfulness as adults and the process is clunky. OTHERS who are overly mindful get shot down by life's trials (bad relationships, toxic personal/social/professional interactions, bullying, etc. etc. etc) and revert to a simpler, self-centered assessment of everything -- the equivalent of a wounded animal licking their own wounds.
• Meanwhile, those raised to think in terms of ROI and "what's in it for me" most likely don't change and continue along that path of being coddled because they've always been rewarded for being that way. Unfortunately, many people today are like this.

Plato brings up a really interesting discussion about whether virtues are inborn or acquired through trial and error... and the answer (to the great chagrin of his students) is that it's a little of both... There are those who are prone to being more giving, so it comes to them naturally because it's part of their character AND ALSO it's reinforced through their upbringing and experiences... Then there are those prone to being less giving (more self-centered), so it's a major challenge for them to figure out a non-selfish motivation for doing something for others.

[FreyaRed]

Human mind is in permanent state of war with other human beings. In war there is no rules, no moral and no humanity. People who crave for attention or cause it involuntary should know they are just exposed possible targets, indifference of others is the cloak to achieve things without hatred and envy.

[FunkyMonkee]

It depends on the human. If I was a billionaire and had no worries about possibly losing too much of it, I'd LOVE to walk down the street handing out hundred dollar bills or walking up to a homeless person that I think is deserving and hand them enough money to buy themselves a house.
There's been a time or two that I was in line at a grocery store behind someone that couldn't locate their money to pay the teller and I just about said that I'd pay for it and then, I realized that, sadly, I can't! Because, all the money I had in my life at that time, I just finished scraping up from under the drive-thru windows at the other end of the mall and I needed every penny I had!
I've NEVER been a money-based person!! If I have tons of money and don't have to worry about having enough in the future, I have no problem at all helping out someone else in need! But, those of us that are like that rarely ever get the chance to BE like that!! At least from where I'm sitting.

[Berethor]

Feminists tend to be selfish, that's why they don't want to have children, humans would not been able to take over the world if they was not using the power of friendship. :)

https://allthetropes.org/wiki/The_Power_of_Friendship

https://www.youtube.com/embed/jTM5V9OmeZY

[NaultD]

Individually we want to help a group that strive to help each other. Some are selfish and abuse human nature.

[NaultD]

Language you speak wasn't created by one person.

The internet or the infrastructure of the internet wasn't made by one person.

Your device wasn't made, created, manufactured by one person.

This website wasn't created by one person. It being meaningful to create your own post takes a lot of people.

You wanting validation for your selfish take takes a lot of people fill the void in your heart. Do you ever ask yourself why?

[handsomelad70]

To a point, I agree.