Evolution Study Reveals Why Selfish People Will become Extinct

[Henrin]

Depends on the individual

Some produce more misery than anything else

People produce to benefit themselves. In reality and outside of this feel good bubble you guys have crafted for yourself business exists to benefit the owner, people work to benefit themselves, and people decide to be civil to each other not because they care but because they see the benefit of that behavior. The world is built on selfishness be that the human race or the animal kingdom itself.

 

[shrubnose]

]No, it can not.

[/B]

That's your opinion, which, with a few dollars, will get you a cup of coffee.

 

[Northern Light]

Humans have always had to work together in communities to survive. The mirage of consumer capitalism provides us with what we need from a top-down approach. In the absence of this system, we would go back to micro-economics and local interdependence.

This era is the height of selfishness but it's not going to last. One way or the other people are going to be shown just how much they need each other.

 

[Henrin]

That's your opinion, which, with a few dollars, will get you a cup of coffee.

My opinion? Bull****. Every liberal windbag in the country these days wants to say how they aren't selfish, but you know what, it's complete and utter bull****. Everyone aspires to better their condition and anyone that say they don't is a liar.

 

[Henrin]

Humans have always had to work together in communities to survive. The mirage of consumer capitalism provides us with what we need from a top-down approach. In the absence of this system, we would go back to micro-economics and local interdependence.

Society exists to protect the individual and his or her interests. As a result it promotes the self-interest of those individuals. Capitalism is simply a tool to promote self interest as well by making it easier to acquire the resources one needs and allowing one to benefit from providing services to others. There is no such thing as an era of selfishness nor is it worse or better today than it ever was in the past. It simply is and will always be as no creature can survive without it.

 

[Cyrylek]

I would leave Ayn Rand out of it, for the sake of clarity. Her "selfishness" is best translated as "personal integrity", if you pay attention.

But never mind: The point is that cooperation and (apparent) "altruism" are at least as potent survival strategies as predation and "red in tooth and claw" competition? Well...who ever doubted that, really?

 

[ChezC3]

I would leave Ayn Rand out of it, for the sake of clarity. Her "selfishness" is best translated as "personal integrity", if you pay attention.

Yes, but how in the hell can you pay attention?

 

[sangha]

Yes, but how in the hell can you pay attention?

Or even stay awake?

Her writing style leaves so much to be desired....like practically everything

 

[Cyrylek]

Yes, but how in the hell can you pay attention?

Breathing exercises, mostly. And it really helps if your wife is an accomplished koto player.

Apart from that, I sort of know where Ayn Rand came from. God forbid any of us ever witness that kind of destruction with our own eyes.

 

[Northern Light]

Capitalism is simply a tool to promote self interest as well by making it easier to acquire the resources one needs and allowing one to benefit from providing services to others.

I had to parse this to reply.

Society exists to protect the individual and his or her interests. As a result it promotes the self-interest of those individuals.

From the standpoint of utility, I can agree with this. But in terms of ethics, I can't. A lot of what modern individualism looks like is a product of colonialism. You need to look beyond the past 300 years or so and look at the past 3000 years. Cultures of individualism to the degree of the modern U.S. and western Europe are extremely rare. That's why the U.S. was such a novel and hopeful concept for much of the modern world. It was pretty unique. But that also makes it experimental. History proves that some degree of collectivization increases human connection.

But of course, I cannot blame individualism for the current decay. Not entirely anyway. There are darker forces at work in the U.S. now than mere selfishness.

There is no such thing as an era of selfishness nor is it worse or better today than it ever was in the past. It simply is and will always be as no creature can survive without it.

Selfishness is not really the word to be applying, more like heightened individual exclusiveness. You may not know it but you are referring to two different kinds of "selfishness" in what you say. Once refers to primal utility - i.e. must eat, must sleep, must get what I need, etc., and the other refers to individual exclusiveness.

No one is denying that we need selfishness for base survival, but when it comes to complex social orders and hierarchies, selfishness has a lot more impacts (good or bad). That level of selfishness is beyond mere utility, it is a virtue and personal ethic. Human nature accounts for some of it by this by no means explains culturally-instilled selfishnes that continually challenges togetherness.

The fear of collectivity due to Cold War era brainwashing is why the U.S. can't get it together right now. They are throwing the baby out with the bathwater by dismissing the whole concept, including its positive aspects. It's painful to watch.

That may be what it's about now, but that's a recent invention.

 

[ChezC3]

God forbid any of us ever witness that kind of destruction with our own eyes.

I read her novel, I've seen what she did to literature...

 

[Fenton]

In
the study, published in the journal

Nature
Communications, researchers used high-powered computing to run hundreds of thousands of games to see whether it was selfishness or selflessness that ultimately won.

"We found evolution will punish you if you are selfish and mean," lead author Christoph Adami,Michigan State University professor of microbiology and molecular genetics said in a news release.

Learn more here: Evolution Study Reveals Why Selfish People Will Become Extinct : Science/Tech : Counsel & Heal




I always knew that the anti-social,selfish, mean people who worship Ayn Rand would eventually pay for their sins. Now I have scientific proof of that.




"What goes around, comes around."

LOL if the writer of the article didn't spin the study politically, you will.

And if you don't understand the basic concepts of what establishes " Scientific proof" or don't understand the Scientific Method then stay out of this part of the forum.

What he posted wasn't " PROOF", it's theory backed with subjective data.

Computer models can be built to verify all kinds of data, it doesn't mean that data's proof or true or even relevent and finally, this is the ACADEMIA section of the forum.

" Non-Political"..

Can you please not embarrass yourself and muck it up with your twisted ideology please .

 

[shrubnose]

[QUOTE]I read her novel, I've seen what she did to literature...

[/QUOTE]




It took a while for this to happen but I finally agree with you 100 percent on something. Everything that lady wrote sucks.

 

[Paschendale]

The evidence in the historic record is that nations that have adopted capitalism have higher standards of living, substantial middle classes, and dramatically lower poverty rates than those that don't, in addition to being drastically better in terms of human rights. I don't think what you wrote makes any sense.

They did, because they abandoned monarchy and aristocracy, and rule by war leaders, which enshrines selfishness even more than capitalism does. Capitalism was an improvement, and turning capitalism into a wealth-based oligarchy has done it no service. But capitalism is not an end state. It's a transitional system, like any other, to be replaced with something better when the time comes. And the time is long overdue.

 

[Fenton]

They did, because they abandoned monarchy and aristocracy, and rule by
war leaders, which enshrines selfishness even more than capitalism does. Capitalism was an improvement, and turning capitalism into a wealth-based oligarchy has done it no service. But capitalism is not an end state. It's a transitional system, like any other, to be replaced with something better when the time comes. And the time is long overdue.

Replaced with what pray tell.

Because everytime someone advocates a move away from a Capitalistic system what they describe in it's place, the "better" alternative is always a variation on some archaic system that removes the liberty and rights of the individual.

I think Capitalism is the natural and ultimate progression for humans.

Its takes into account the fundamental human characteristics like will and self preservation. Other and "better" systems that emphasize the collective over the individual have core principles that are compulsory and mandated by a strong central Government that answers to no one.

 

[Mach]

They did, because they abandoned monarchy and aristocracy, and rule by war leaders, which enshrines selfishness even more than capitalism does. Capitalism was an improvement, and turning capitalism into a wealth-based oligarchy has done it no service. But capitalism is not an end state. It's a transitional system, like any other, to be replaced with something better when the time comes. And the time is long overdue.

Why would you want to transition from freedom, to no freedom, for the sake of change? You value change over freedom and prosperity? *boggle* I mean, just go pledge your services to the first person you find and let them control your life if that's what you want. Trying to destroy a civilization just so you can be told how to live your life seems silly.

 

[clownboy]

Why Selfish People Will become Extinct? Because the rest of the herd animals can't tolerate someone who doesn't want to be a part of their group - so they destroy them.

 

[Paschendale]

Why would you want to transition from freedom, to no freedom, for the sake of change? You value change over freedom and prosperity? *boggle* I mean, just go pledge your services to the first person you find and let them control your life if that's what you want. Trying to destroy a civilization just so you can be told how to live your life seems silly.

Do you actually believe a word of this nonsense? Or do you know that you're just spouting talking points that don't actually reflect what anyone really thinks? No one values change for its own sake. What a stupid thing to say. People want to change things because the new way will be better than the old way. Because they don't have freedom now and they want some, so they'll change things to get some. You might like things the way they are now, where you have freedom and they don't. But that's too bad. The progressive march of history for the last five centuries has been pretty consistent in distributing freedom more evenly, rather than concentrating it in fewer hands. Of course I value freedom and prosperity. I just value collective freedom and prosperity more than you having more freedom and prosperity than everyone else. You don't get to benefit at the expense of others. You're not special and don't deserve a greater share than everyone else. No one does.

 

[Mach]

People want to change things because the new way will be better than the old way.

Based on what evidence? Which people compared to which other people? Will be better? What zealous absolutists nonsense. It's like you're preaching to some cult.

Because they don't have freedom now and they want some, so they'll change things to get some.

Absurd. If you do not accept that you have economic freedom unparalleled in most of human history and around the world, you're not being serious. And in every case of this "will change things to get some", everyone knows you mean that they will take ownership of things others own, and make it theirs. Conquest is all you're describing, you want to whip up the soldiers and go pillage. Granted, that sounds kind of fun in a primitive appeal, but call it what it is. Whip up the faithful on your crusade, you're doing great.

You might like things the way they are now, where you have freedom and they don't. But that's too bad. The progressive march of history for the last five centuries has been pretty consistent in distributing freedom more evenly, rather than concentrating it in fewer hands. Of course I value freedom and prosperity. I just value collective freedom and prosperity more than you having more freedom and prosperity than everyone else. You don't get to benefit at the expense of others. You're not special and don't deserve a greater share than everyone else. No one does.

lol. You get to decide what I get? You're too funny Paschendale.