How many of you agree that, if everyone were selfish, everyone would be happy?

Answer 1

Ayn Rand and I would. Being selfish is not necessarily a bad thing.

Answer 2

I believe we would be happy...we'd all be living by ourselves. Greedy, alone no one to worry about except number one. I also think we'd be the most paranoid group of people anywhere.

Honestly I when I first read your question I thought intitally yea we would all be happy I mean all you would have worry about would be yourself...but in turn would you still asscocate with other people? If you did you would be using them...but if everyone was selfish they would be using you as well...could be an equal trade. You would always be looking for a way to be on top of everything and if everyone was selfish...there can only be #1 so I think there would be alot of fighting more of that than happiness.

Besides I don't know about you I honestly get more enjoyment out of helping someone else out verses doing something for my own benifit. Just the type of person I am. I feel if I can't make my own life better why not try and make someone elses life a little better or a little easier and in turn I am helping myself out because I'm feeling good about helping them.

So I don't agree that if we were all selfish that everyone would be happy I think we'd be the most miserable human beings ever. That is if we were still in existance and all the worlds leaders blew us up because they were selfish and wanted to rule the world...just something for you to chew on.

Answer 3

A person should listen to themselves. If everyone was selfish, then that person would be happier since the remaining people would all be selfish. This selfishness may help people take better care of themselves and not worry so much about other's being and feelings.

Answer 4

I disagree. Happiness cannot be found solely in one owns desires. The happiest people are people who give to others. We hear all the time about people or characters who are misers and selfish and can find no happiness.

Besides that argument, people with overlapping selfish desires would find themselves locked in conflict over what they want, and no one would get it. Either that or soemone would get the item, and the other person would be unhappy with this outcome and not everyone would be happy.

The premise cannot work.

Answer 5

You would hope that everyone selfishness would be like mine, that is self contained or self indulgent. But unfortunately some peoples sense of selfishness can often spill over into others lives in a not so friendly way ( theft, violence, etc. ), and therefore not everyone would be happy.

Answer 6

Definetly no. If I was selfish I wouldn't be taking the time to answer this question with more than one word or not at all because I'd either just want the points of would be too busy getting my questions answered. That wouldn't make you happy would it because then nobody would be giving you a proper answer. So then wouldn't that make you unhappy.

Answer 7

All intentional actions are performed because we "want" to perform them (we choose that action as being perferred to the alternatives). Therefore, intentionality is selfish by definition. In this one technical sense, all people are always selfish. A person who appears to be self sacrificing, according to this view, is said to have "enlightened self interest", in that they (selfishly) choose to do things in the interest of others because they understand that this is ultimately in their own best interest (or, in the short run, satisfies their desire to be a good person).

In philosophical literature, this is a typical sense of "selfish" (and really is the most interesting sense of the word in my opinion), but then answering your question is not so interesting, and doesn't get at what you meant to ask.

If by "selfish" you mean a more conventional definition (where a "selfish" person is one who more often than not prefers to act in ways that directly benefit him/herself even at the cost of hurting others), then the answer is "no", in my opinion.

In a world where more people give, more people get.

Answer 8

Actually it is the opposite. If everyone WASN'T selfish then everyone would be happy. Everyone is selfish and no one is happy.

Answer 9

Everyone already is selfish. We're not happy.
What you say is not possible because some groups already have more power, and that will never change. The more powerful/ opportunistic greed will take away from the one at disadvantage, eventually creating injustice and all types of conflict.

Answer 10

If everyone was selfish no one would be happy.

Answer 11

there is a flaw in your logic if everyone was pure selfish I think we would have a lot of dead bodies. How many guys want to bonk Katherine Heigl..."Grey's Anatomy"... Because our wants are not mutually exclusive so when those wants overlap with anothers similar wants conflict will definitely ensue.