Is there such a thing as a "selfless" act?

Question

Is a cse for altruism valid, if there are no selfless acts?

Answer 1

I think there are two possible claims in the idea that "all acts are selfish" (or "there are no selfless acts".) The weaker claim is that all acts are committed by selves. The stronger claim is that all acts are ultimately done with the primary purpose of benefitting oneself.

The first possibility is certainly true. All acts are selfish in that all acts are committed by a self, an agent. This agent has motivations that compels him or her to act. But this is a trivial truth. It is the same as saying that all acts have motivations behind them. Its not really such an exciting claim when its put this way, is it?

The second claim is that there are no acts which do not benefit the self. i think there certainly are such acts. i recently read a news story about a navy seal that threw himself on a grenade to save his fellow seals. was that selfless? its hard to see that that act really benefitted him. i'm sure you can say that his benefit was in knowing that he would be seen as a hero, but thats implying a rational calcualtion that likely wasn't present at the time. if the seal did rationally calculate to sacrifice himself, its really hard to believe that the one second he had of feeling good about being a hero was worth more than the 50+ years of life he otherwise would have enjoyed. if there was no rational calculation, then it surely was a selfless act, since he would have done it without any regard for his status as a hero, only out of the immediate instinct to save the others.

also, if all acts are selfish, then i think you would have to believe that all acts are done to maximize benefit to the self. if personal benefit is goal, then on what grounds do we act when we do not act to maximize personal benefit? assuming that the seal sacrificing himself was selfish, but admitting that maybe it would have benefitted him more to not have jumped on the grenade, you have to conclude that he didn't act to maximize benefit to himself. maybe he still benefits (in being remembered as a hero), but arguably that benefit is less of a benefit than having 50 more years of life. so then why choose the lesser benefit? if all actions are selfish, there are no grounds to choose the lesser benefit, since choosing the lesser benefit in order to help others would be altruistic. if we believe that all actions are selfish, we need to believe that every action is committed with the goal of maximizing benefits to oneself. it seems that this is not the case though. not all acts are done with the intention of maximizing personal benefits, and i think the seal example is a good one. some degree of altruism or selflessness is required in order to explain the fact that people do not always intentionally act to maximize the benefits to themselves.

Answer 2

Great question! I think that the motive behind the act is deeply important. If you gain a sense of well being, or pat yourself on the back after an "altruistic" act then you could argue that increasing your self esteem makes for some selfish motive in the act.

If the act has been performed with an eye to looking good to other people, i.e. makes you look generous, then the motivation is not altruistic but rather selfish and superficial.

A true selfless act would have to provide no benifit to yourself and not be undertaken to improve the view others or yourself have about you. With this resriction in mind I do think that it is possible for a selfless act to exist.

The sacrifice of life to save another or the risk of life to save another falls into this category. Or fulfilling your duty as a parent or doctor. If you believed helping someone was merely your duty the motivation is neither to look good or feel good, but simply the done thing.

Answer 3

If you see an old woman who you don't know struggling to load things into her car and you cold heartedly stop to help her and then just walk away without accepting her gratitude or feeling good about what you just did, it is selfless. If the act makes you feel good, it's not selfless.

Giving a homeless person a buck why feeling only distain is selfless.

Instinctively throwing yourself on a grenade to protect your buddies is selfless as long as you die and do not receive the gratitude of your buddies.

Doing the right thing when no one is looking is not neccessarily selfless.

Answer 4

I don't believe there is such thing as a selfless act - although the primary motive may be to help another, there is always a touch of doing it to feel good about helping someone else.

Answer 5

Okay, by saying this i'm not trying to be offensive in anyway. Most white people that try to be black are usually called "wiggers" or "wanksters". But honestly i've never heard of your situation though. Maybe your just a more down to earth person and doesn't like to get into drama. Theres nothing wrong with being unique!

Answer 6

I think that the most selfless acts, are those that are done spontaneously, like saving a child from a burning building. The doer has no time to calculate the benefit or loss to their own person, but does it purely out of a desire to help someone in peril.

Answer 7

Yes, selfless acts do occur. They considered honorable and noble.

Answer 8

YES,there are selfless actions. Any action that springs fourth from UNCONDITIONAL LOVE. Example,the man who jumped into the frigid waters to save a near dead woman,after a plane crash. These actions are performed expecting nothing in return nor for self gratification.

Answer 9

Dissolve your selfishness (free will) that is the selfless act.This can happen when all our selfish desires stopped due to the deep understanding of the unlimited life.

Answer 10

yes there is...such as that soldier who gave his life bravely so that the rest of his comrades would live......

such as those who gave theirs in flight 93

such as those who every day put their lives for others and are never known

such as that one man who died on a cross for others to know that we all have a choice to make in our lives.