Brain...cramping...can...barely...type...this... o_O
Ah, Hobbes, you 'ole stuffed tiger you... ^_^ will ----- Original Message ----- From: "Kevin Graeme" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: "CF-Community" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent: Monday, July 07, 2003 10:41 AM Subject: Altruism (was RE: US threatens Caribbean Countries) > No it's not. Altruism vs. Egoism is an ongoing debate in philosophy with > most modern ethicists that I've read giving the nod to Egoism. Tomas > Hobbes in the early 17th Century basically said that Altruism doesn't > exist. > > "For Hobbes, we all participate in a social contract to bring society > into existence for the benefits thereof. This is a thoroughly egoistic > enterprise. Hobbes would not claim that social protections make altruism > possible because altruism is never possible. (Hobbes here on the Golden > Rule!). What looks like altruism and benevolence is always, in one way > or another, disguised self-interest. When that self-interest breaks into > the open, the result is total social war. The fear of such war leads to > doing things for others from purely self-interested motives. (The > example of the beggar and the clergyman.) This story reduces the problem > of the relationship of altruism and egoism to a single issue: if human > nature is essentially self-interested and competitive, how can altruism > and benevolence be considered virtues?" > http://www.siue.edu/~whamric/Hobbes.html > > Plenty of others have provided varying perspectives on the ebb and flow > of apparently altruistic motivations in people, but most generally come > down on the side of altruism being a false presumption. > > I wouldn't call Altruism evil, because I personally don't feel that it > even exists. Tim, as someone who served in the military, was willing to > die for others but that doesn't mean that it was an altruistic > motivation. What I personally find interesting is that while Egosim > usually goes hand in hand with Relativism, or at least Utilitarianism, > Tim seems comfortable with Universalist principles for society while > holding an Egoist stance for himself. (That's not a criticism Tim, just > an observation.) > > -Kevin > > > -----Original Message----- > > From: Dana Tierney [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] > > Sent: Monday, July 07, 2003 10:54 AM > > To: CF-Community > > Subject: Re: US threatens Caribbean Countries > > > > > > I think that speaks for itself. It's right up there with > > "let's invade Iraq because they play with goat heads in Pakistan." > > > > Dana > > > > Heald, Tim writes: > > > > > Altruism is evil. > > > > > > Timothy Heald > > > Information Systems Specialist > > > Overseas Security Advisory Council > > > U.S. Department of State > > > 571.345.2235 > > > > > > > > > -----Original Message----- > > > From: Angel Stewart [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] > > > Sent: Thursday, July 03, 2003 10:20 PM > > > To: CF-Community > > > Subject: RE: US threatens Caribbean Countries > > > > > > > > > *GASP!* > > > > > > You...you mean the US isn't the altruistic..benevolent world ruler > > > that it makes itself out to be? > > > > > > You mean...you mean if it isn't in the US 'National Interest' then > > > nothing will be done regardless of how many innocent people are > > > slaughtered or if there is systematic genocide taking place?? > > > > > > 0_0 > > > > > > Oh I can feel my little America The Saviour bubble breaking... > > > Yesh...yesh I really can... > > > > > > *Pop* > > > > > > Oh there...its gone. > > > *sigh* > > > 0_0 > > > Whatever are we going to do??? > > > > > > -Gel > > > > > > > > > -----Original Message----- > > > From: Kevin Schmidt [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] > > > > > > Dana, > > > > > > Liberia is in the middle of a civil war. Why should we intervene? > > > Should we have intervened in Somalia? I don't think so. I don't > > > think we should intervene in Liberia either. > > > > > > Kevin > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~| Archives: http://www.houseoffusion.com/cf_lists/index.cfm?forumid=5 Subscription: http://www.houseoffusion.com/cf_lists/index.cfm?method=subscribe&forumid=5 This list and all House of Fusion resources hosted by CFHosting.com. The place for dependable ColdFusion Hosting. http://www.cfhosting.com Unsubscribe: http://www.houseoffusion.com/cf_lists/unsubscribe.cfm?user=89.70.5
