Altruism
March 12th, 2009 | Published in Economics idea
I agree with the premise that people are ultimately selfish. We only do things that make us feel good. If we think an action has no potential to make us happier, it would be stupid for us to do it.
What makes society work is that our brains are wired to reward us for being nice to each other. Feelings of loneliness encourage us to socialize. Compassion encourages us to help others. It feels good to help people who are in trouble. Even if you are only interested in your own well-being, it is still worth being nice to other people because it will make you feel better.
The assumption that people are fundamentally greedy is flawed because of how our brains are wired. It doesn’t make sense to build an economic system based only on greed and self-interest because there are powerful emotional forces that promote cooperation.
What we need to do is harness both self-interest and altruism. Each has its place.
