Author Archives: Dan Norton

Some highlights and testimonials from The Selfishness Project. ( 2 min. )

In this 23-minute talk (with powerpoint slides), I present Ayn Rand’s new idea of selfishness. A 65-minute Q&A follows, in which the following questions are addressed: Wasn’t Mother Teresa really selfish? (26:30). Is there a book you recommend for learning more about Ayn Rand’s ideas of selfishness? (34:43). Does the concept “selfishness” only apply in […]

Is it selfless to return a lost wallet and selfish to keep (or ignore) it? “Paying it forward”—what does it mean and was I doing it by returning the wallet? Unintended consequences of good (or bad) actions. What makes an intention good? ( 30 min. )

The coronavirus, the internet, and the future of higher education: Prof. Molyneux’s experience during the outbreak; will professors be laid off?; effects on STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) vs. non-STEM disciplines; what about philosophy? The University of California graduate student strike. Student loan debt and debt forgiveness. (Starting at 0:46:46) The lockdowns: Do they […]

Greek egoism and secularism as a counterexample to the idea that humans are innately altruistic. ( 6 min. )

Altruism as a tool of exploitation in religion and history. ( 7 min. )

The relation of egoism and altruism, and their meanings. Preachers of altruism. Altruism as a tool of exploitation, in history and religion. Do preachers of altruism themselves believe in altruism? Is there an innate tendency to accept altruism? Greek culture as egoistic and relatively secular; Homer, Aristotle, and Plato. Are the Greek heroes altruistic? Achilles […]

Self-interest and global warming; prisoner’s dilemmas and game theory; free rider problems; volunteer armies and charities. ( 8 min. )

Universal basic income, government programs generally, and force. ( 3 min. )

The coronavirus outbreak: How Jesus or Mother Teresa would act vs. how most people do act. Are we obligated to do what is ideal? Should unrealistic ideals be ideals? Ought implies can. Giving lip service to selflessness as an ideal without really believing it: a tension in many people’s view. The moral and the practical. […]