The Selfishness Project

Selfishness, being a lawyer, and doing harm. Objective justice and self-interest. Harmonious selfishness. “Eye for an eye,” self-interest, and punishment. Public funding, individual liberty, and selfishness. ( 19 min. )

Topics covered: The Chinese word for “selfish.” The Chinese attitude toward selfishness and the one-child policy. Staying in the U.S. vs. going back to China: Is one of those options selfish? Which would make you happiest—and would you choose that option? Are we missing a word? Can selfishness be a good thing? How should it be defined? ( 24 min. )

Topics covered: Is pursuing a career selfish? How to evaluate selfishness. Doing something to the detriment of others. Religion and selfishness. Nietzsche on Christianity. Mormonism. Individualism in America vs. Asia. The afterlife and selfishness. Immanuel Kant. Ayn Rand. Communism vs. capitalism and different senses of equality. Self-interest and market forces. Government programs and taxation/force. Democracy, Socrates, and majority rule. Climate change and majority opinion. Self-interest and global warming. Martyrdom and self-interest. ( 1 hr. 26 min. )

Topics covered: Is walking a dog for money selfish? If so, is it bad? Mutual selfishness to mutual benefit. Is everyone selfish? My opinion on whether selfishness is good or bad. Is harming others always bad? ( 7 min. )

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. )