Can anything you do ever really be unselfish?

Answer 1

Yes.
English philosopher Thomas Hobbes (way before Ayn Rand) posited this idea. He used the example of giving money to a beggar. He stated he wasn't giving money to the beggar to help out the condition of the beggar, but simply because it made him feel good to do so. So even that action was selfish.
David Hume demonstrated the fallacy of this reasoning. Simply stated, his objection is the action makes you feel good because it is a good action, and that's why you're feeling good about yourself.
In other words, if doing good deeds makes you feel good, it doesn't necessarily follow that your good deeds are selfish. You are feeling good because it is a good deed, not the other way around.
Besides, people have been known to make great sacrifices for others, how far would you have to stretch your argument to demonstrate a person giving a kidney is selfish? Or Mother Theresa? How about a young man going off to war because he believes it's the right thing to do?

Answer 2

What an interesting question. I performed a random act of kindness the other day and I did not derive any specific feelings of self importance or get all warm and fuzzy from it. I saw a person in need and was able to help so I did. Then I truly walked away and did not think about it again. So I think the answer to your question is yes, you can do a truly unselfish thing.

Answer 3

Yes. Dying in order to save another person's life is clearly an unselfish act.

Answer 4

Yes.

When you donate to a charity you hate with your last $10 you are being unselfish. You hate the charity and are giving up the last of your money! You don't want to do this and you're not happy about it, but you are donating to something, which is helping someone else.

Answer 5

No.

That depends on your definition of unselfishness. I believe that most people would consider selfishness as doing something good for yourself at the cost of others. I believe that most people's definition of unselfishness usually means doing something good for others that are also good for yourself.

I have come to know for a certainty that people can only deliberately act for their own benefit. This certainty came to me through the study of Artificial Intelligence.

Answer 6

The question in view here is motive. Since many seemingly unselfish acts are born of a hidden, ulterior motive it is rare but not impossible. The operative factor would be sacrifice. If I clearly am subordinating my best interests to another person's best interests without any expected benefit to myself, then my act is by definition selfless.

Answer 7

Hardly ever. But I think you can be unselfish when you help a person from your heart...

Answer 8

Thinking about it just now i feel that everything we do is for some selfish reason. It may not be selfish in a truly negative way but selfish in someway none the less. When we donate money to charities like mentioned above, we do it for recognition or for acknowledgement that we are doing good. Some people do it for their spot in Heaven etc. Even when i feed the cat, it's not cause I love him dearly and want to make sure he's healthy (even though I do want those things) most of the time I feed him so he'll stop clawing my furniture or meowing in my ear. It could be just me but I believe everything we do has some sort of selfish conotation behind it, whether strong or weak.

Answer 9

When you nurse a sick patient without expecting any return or remuneration it is unselfish. Same thing when you educate a person, Give in charity without telling any one.

Answer 10

Becoming a star on the wall in CIA headquarters. That's one example.
Getting on presidential detail with the secret service is another. How much more selfless can a man be than to jump in front of a bullet to protect a president they can't stand, because they put their nation first?
I'll answer that, to sacrifice ones life for ones enemies, as our soldiers are doing in Iraq and Afghanistan, and elsewhere.