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  • Subject: The Ego and its correlation with selfishness.
Subject: The Ego and its correlation with selfishness.
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After reading everyones view regarding Obbi's thoughts on The Ego, and after futher discussion with Obbi, I feel this thread could generate some interesting conversation.

I will copy+paste some of the conversation-My point is easier to understand this way.


Obbi : To deny yourself who you are, your feelings, your drives and aspiration, is denying yourself the right to live.
Stalin the 31 : But what if your ambition is to really hurt someone?
Obbi : Then you as a person should embrace that. Society, having different views and of course looking down on that behavior, will also respond according to their drive - and you will be punished by them. If you also wish not to be caught, then do it so you won't be.
Stalin the 31st : But surely this is a very selfish attitude-Being willing to ruin someones life, purely because it is your aspiration?
Obbi : All attitudes are selfish.


Is this true? Are all attitudes selfish?

Assuming this, then the following statement is true- If I were to go out to... Oh I don't know, help build a water pipe in Sudan, this action would be considered selfish. Just as selfish as if I decided to stay at home, eat copious amounts of food and laugh at the poor starving citizens of Sudan.

I apologise if my point is difficult to understand- It is not explained well.

I supose i should pose some sort of questions to answer- it may make things easier.

1. Are all actions selfish, regardless of the results? Should all actions be considered selfish because you choose to do what you want to do? Or should the results of your actions be taken into consideration as well?

2. If the embracement of your ego means that another human being will be hurt very badly, is it ethically right to embrace your ego?

3. Is there such a thing as being selfless?

If anyone else can understand what I am saying, and has a better way of explaining it, by all means do. I am tired having just got home from work-My lack of an ability to explain things well is to be expected.

[Edited on 8/21/2004 11:53:28 AM]

  • 08.21.2004 11:52 AM PDT

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Attitudes could be considered selfish because of the inherent effect on the person -- You go and help those people because it makes you feel good. In it's basest sense I can see that being considered selfish.

Same if you stay at home... Because you want to.

Even a father risking his life for his child isn't selfless - so you gotta just figure it from whatever point of view is seeing the action.

[Edited on 8/21/2004 12:00:26 PM]

  • 08.21.2004 11:58 AM PDT
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Mmmm..... Im siding with Obbi on this one.

  • 08.21.2004 11:59 AM PDT
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Not all actions are selfish. If you do go help build a water pipe in Sudan, it may be classed as selfish as you are trying to make yourself feel better by doing this, but at the same time you are helping other people. I view every action as a balance between doing things for yourself, and doing things for other people. In my eyes, if there is a significant benefit to other people these 'selfish' acts are still justified.

As for the embracement of ego leading to violence or distress for other people, it is up to society to reach a balance between freedom and protection. If it is you're ego's desire to cause harm, it is indeed ethically wrong to embrace this. Many people have violent tendencies and thoughts, but suppress or overrride them.

To be truly selfless ones every action must be to the benefit of others. Of course, in a modern society such as this, this becomes impossible. The main reason for this is one of currency; a person always needs money in order to eat and have some accomodation- therefore the person must have a job of some kind. Any paid job stops true selflessness, as the worker is always earning a wage to their own benefit. The closest to selflessness possible is that of only using the minimum amount of money to survive, and giving all the rest to charity, which very rarely happens. I know for a fact that I will regularly give money to Oxfam and WaterAid when I start working, but I recognise this does not make me a martyr of some kind- I am merely trying to help how I can, but still appeasing my own sense of guilt....

  • 08.21.2004 12:10 PM PDT
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Acting on every drive and impulse you have because refraining from doing so would be 'repressing yourself' is careless. We all have negative ambitions from time to time, but that doesn't mean we have to carry them out.

On a more subjective note, what exactly is a negative ambition? My morals and ethics may be different from those of others. Who is correct? Are ethics relative or is there some objective base?

  • 08.21.2004 12:11 PM PDT