Author Archives: Dan Norton

Topics covered: Balancing selfishness and selflessness. The perfect person. ( 11 min. )

Topics covered: Is going to school selfish? “Self-focus” as a hybrid of selfishness and selflessness. Labeling individual actions vs. people as a whole as “selfish,” etc. ( 14 min. )

Topics covered: Jesus Christ as a role model for selflessness. Is heaven a selfish goal? How did Jesus take on others’ sins? ( 18 min. )

Topics covered: Selfishness and self-care. Conflicts of interest (or lack thereof). Christianity and Mormonism. Original sin. Individualism and collectivism in Christianity. Christianity and self-care / mental health. Suicide as selfish/altruistic. Selfish giving. Game theory. Adam Smith. ( 47 min. )  

Topics covered: Selfishness and pursuing a career. Doing good for the world and doing good for oneself: If you had to choose between these, which would you choose, and why? Questioning the way one was raised. ( 10 min. )

Topics covered: Is working out at the gym selfish? If so, is working out bad? If it’s selfish but not bad, then is selfishness sometimes good? Ayn Rand. ( 5 min. )

Topics covered: Is love selfish? Selfless? Love/sex as an emotional/spiritual/material trade. ( 7 min. )

Topics covered: Are you a selfish person? The nature of sacrifice. Mother Teresa. Can emotions be priced? Is being a student selfish? Selfishness/self-sacrifice as an issue of intent. Evaluating selflessness/inaction. Is helping someone good? The complexity of these issues. ( 51 min. )

Topics covered: Is not waiting one’s turn on the freeway selfish? Selfishness and self-preservation. Long-range consequences of behavior that is called “selfish.” Is “selfish” the right word? ( 9 min. )

A video introduction to The Selfishness Project. ( 3 min. )