I've actually had this view (though I hadn't consciously thought of it for a while) since I was 10 or 12 or so, when a friend of mine said it. I agreed, and have regarded it almost as an obvious, self-evident fact ever since. Though it was phrased a bit differently, enough to subtly change its meaning, I suppose.
But ultimately, you always do everything for selfish reasons. You help other people (whether friends or complete strangers) because, in some way, you derive pleasure from it (either you're glad to see them happy, or it relieves some sort of feeling of obligation or guilt), and it can't be any other way. Of course, put that way, doing something 'good' *just* for the warm fuzzy feeling you get could be called true altruism, and there can be other reasons (improving your reputation, hoping for a returned favour from that person) which would make it a not truly altruistic act. |
