Do selfless acts exsist?

I believe people do things that appear selfless in order to satisfy an inner set of values or morality.

For example, a man could donate his last $20 dollars to a charity even though he struggles to pay for his own food and shelter. You could argue he does it for the warm fuzzy feeling he gets from helping others, self satisfaction.

A man is on completely filled bus, yet he gives up his seat for an old women, sounds selfless right? You could argue that he did it because of the social pressures, not wanting other to judge him.

A women pushes a young boy out of the way of a speeding car and ends up dieing. You could argue that she would rather die herself than have to live with knowing she could have prevented a child's death, she is preventing her own suffering.

Every action we make is because there is something in it for us. Whether it's a conscious or subconscious thought.

Discuss.

 

Because it is possible to argue a point does not make it right.

A man on a bus filled with people stands up to let an old lady sit, yet the entire bus is filled with other people to give the same act. The man could simply be being polite to the elderly lady, as that has been what hes taught.

A woman dieing for a young boy, is not stopping her from suffering, as it is possible to supress memories correct? She gave her life to save a young boy, with the possiblity that the car could have stopped anyways, the boy could have walked out of the way. This would be a selfless act in the sense that this lady saved the life of the young boy. even to watch him die the thoughts could be supressed where after a few years, she would completely forget about it, yet instead of giving up a few years of her life, she gave up her entire life, not an equal sacrafice? thus it must have been completely selfless.

 

they were taught to be polite in school or scouts a man wouldnt do it because others are wathing he would let the old lady sit there as its nice and polite of course of the old lady she did it to save the boy not for her self reasons

 

Everything we do is incentive based, wether it be social, moral, or economic. Someone giving up their seat does it due to the fact that there are social and moral incentives in doing so. He's looked upon as a good person by his peers (social) and feels that he did the right thing (moral).

That is my point.

 

A lot of it is for self satisfaction, but once you realize the only way to help others is to help yourself, that doesn't matter anymore.

 

I would help someone to be more popular with them, to feel more self satisfied, or for some other kind of gain. Selfless acts may exist, but i don't do them much, if at all.

 

You have to think about the word, just look at it...

Selfless
An action that is empty of "self", or your own needs.

When you jump a bullet for someone, you're not thinking about your own survival, you're trying to save someone else. That's a selfless act because you did it for the person, not for yourself. You want that person to live, and just throw yourself in front of whatever is trying to stop them from doing that [living], not caring about how badly it'll affect you [death, most likely].

 

This is a very bad argument, basically nothing would be selfless if you put it like this. If you save someone's life, of course you're going to feel better about yourself, but it's still not thinking of your self since you cared about the other person's safety.

 

I would take it just to be know as "the guy who took a bullet to save a life"
I wouldn't care about the other person.
In the world today just about everything we do is for our selfs

 

Exactly, she WANTS that child to live. In pushing that child out of the way, she gets what she wants.
The social incentives are also big here, if she would be able to save a child, yet she let him die, anyone viewing that would judge her harshly.

Don't confuse selfishness with selflessness. Selfless meaning the only motive
would be to help that child. But every action we make does help us in some small way.

I'd like to challenge you to find a action thats completely selfless.

 

Well good points here.

for one i think that the person giving his last bit of cash to charity is doing this because he knows what its like not to be loved and not have alot of cash and he knows he is richer than some of the people in the charity i don't think it was for the warm feeling atall i think he just believes that it is a good way to help people "REALLY" in need.

2nd well this is another interesting point. I always give up my bus seat to old/disbaled people only because i know they can't stand very long i don't do it because others will judge me this is only because i would want the same when im older remember treat others how you want to be treated.

3rd this is a good thing she did it because she would rather see a young boy see the rest of his life through without dying young , she did it out of sheer braveness to save a young boys life.

i don't think any of this is to do with being judged.

 

Interesting concept. When I saw the title i was ready to argue using the example of giving up a seat, but then i saw your logic i can't think of anything to disprove this.

 

If this is true then your saying that there is no kindness in humans.

 

According to Psychology, there is absolutely no such thing as a selfless act.
But then again, how do you explain someone diving in front of a bullet so save someone else?

 

There are things that psychology that aren't 100% accurate. And there is often more than one theory about something.

 

Well. When you feel good inside, it shows on the outside. One simple act of kindness makes another persons day, which usually makes another persons day better, and so on. Showing a little love to someone could make thousands of peoples day happy. Vice Versa, with anger and hate. The lady could have jumped and saved the boy, meaning to do a good act and be a hero, but ended up dying, which she did not plan at all. The man could have donated his money, because he could have gotten an interview in the paper and would have been a local hero, therefore making himself a nice quite bit of money. You never know what another person is thinking, until you are that person.

 

Every analogy breaks down somewhere.

 

you can be kind without committing a selfless act.

The consequences are high, I agree, but that does not mean there is no incentive for her. They child will undoubtedly be grateful, along with anyone watching.

 

so you're like a glass is half empty kind of guy?