If an individual only seeks his own advantage, can society benefit? Explain.?

Answer 1

Yes. Because a person does the best and makes the most effort when it comes to doing for himself. Thus extra effort pays off better than, if you did the same thing for someone else. If everyone seeked his own advantage, they achieve/produce more than he would otherwise.

Answer 2

Every single one of us is selfish. We all seek to do what is best for us, in our own eyes.

That actually helps society.

The reason is that we all try to do what causes us the least unpleasantness while giving us the highest rewards. (However each one of us defines unpleasantness and reward) .

The bottomline is that we will do something if the benefits to us outweigh the costs to us. And that is true whether 'we' means us as individuals, organisations, or members of society.

For me for example, I cannot do detailed work, I am sure to make mistakes, so I never tried a career in accounting, knowing that even if I made it and got a decent job, my daily struggle would outweigh the rewards. So I do what I am good at.

The fact that I am still employed means that my cost to my employer is much less than the benefits the organisation derives from me (in my case, it is measures and the returns to the organisation are anywhere between 25-40 times my cost). So the organisation benefits.

Now the organisation can remain in business using my output only if the organisation can sell the product/service into the market, into society. Again the same rule applies, society would only pay for something if the benefits outweigh the costs. So society benefits.

On the other hand, the fact that I choose to remain in this job means that my reward (pay plus the job satisfaction for example) outweigh the costs to me (higher blood pressure caused by dealing with idiots for example). I benefit too. If I didn't, I'd look for another job.

Therefore, everyone benefits, even though all I am doing is looking out for myself, and so is my boss, and his boss... and the consumers of our output...

Answer 3

the answer lies in the "only"
ANd it is of course a big no.

If I seek only my advantage, I will try to steal fraud rape etc. whenever I can without anyone noticing.

If I agree to pay the plumber, if I do not lie about the quality of the product I sell, it is not only because of the fear of police or reputation, but because I have moral values, I don't seek ONLY my own advantage.

Adam Smith J Stuart Mill and other liberal thinkers all made this plain clear.

Societies need some morals, some work and trade ethic to survive and grow. Without them, then comes anarchy.

Of course if individuals only abide by the moral codes designed to serve the public good it may not work either. Both are needed.

There s another to show it.
Let s suppose I seek only my own advantage.
Why don t i still the computer left near from me.

a for fear of police action
yeah but why would police act if I bribe them
a 1 for fear of control
yeah but if there is none and or if i can bribe them too ?

b for fear of loss of reputation
yeah but why would other bother if i steal, i do not hurt them, do they have an interest in the common good ? WHy ?

etc.
No society can happen without some moral codes, some rules.
ANd especially all markets rely on the morality of the sellers and buyers in order to function properly.

Answer 4

Society will only benefit if the individual has invented something that is widely used throughout the known world.

An individual who only seeks his own advantage will not benefit society at all but this kind of person does not even benefit her/himself either.

There are many people who have benefited themselves and then given of themselves back into society,e.g.Bill Gates

Answer 5

I love this question.

Yes. Our standard of living in the U.S. has advanced exponentially in the past few hundred years because we've sought out our own advantage in a system that aligns that with the greater good.

In capitalism people are free to trade however they so choose. Generally, people trade with one another when both sides come out ahead. Win-win. Think about it. Why else would you trade?

Sure, some people grumble about paying high heating bills in the winter. But, it just takes one night in the cold to enlighten them to just how great of a deal a warm home is.

Last year I hired a plumber to fix a broken pipe. For $189 he fixed what would have taken me a whole weekend to figure out. I still probably wouldn't have done it right and I might have caused a fire considering how tight the space was. That was money well spent.

I've spent a great deal of money on Bill Gates' products in my lifetime. But Bill Gates' products have brought a great deal of value to my life. A substantial portion of the money I earn at my job derives from my ability to use two of his products very well.

Are you getting the idea now? In order for you serve your own interest, in this society, you have to trade something that serves someone else's self interest. Do that a few trillion times and you have a great deal of added value, i.e. enhanced standard of living.

And, if you still don't believe, I recommend that you go to an isolated area anywhere in the world and try to live on your own for a few months without trading with anyone.

Answer 6

Yes! Suppose that I wish to be a millionare. So, I go down into my basement, and work out a way to stop global warming. I will make millions! But, I helped out society even though I was really just looking out for myself.

The insight is that if I come up with ideas that benefit society I will be rewarded, AND I will be rewarded only if those ideas really do benefit society.

Answer 7

He can but will not always automatically. Take for example situations 1 & 2:

S1 - a person looks through the job section, finds a job that pays well (looking after sick, disabled elderly people or infants) and ends up doing a great job helping, making them feel good about themselves, because the market system creates jobs in these helping people sectors

S2 - a company manager finds that the best way to get his company that sells rubbish junk food that makes you ill in the long-term to make more money is to set up some bulk-buy reward schemes giving out free toys with every 10th meal item purchased, while also sending out vicious rumours about the fruit farms in the area, knowing that they will make their business suffer and our junkfood business will win out as a result.

Answer 8

in the most literal meaning of your question you are describing an anarchy......so no society cant!!

Explain,,,,,,if I want a promotion and my boss has to leave I kill him....I am only seeking my own advantage but society is not benefitting because my own laws are all that count......anarchy!

Answer 9

Beautiful question, at the heart of economics. Have you ever considered why a farmer works so hard? It's not because he wants you to have meat and vegetables, he works because he wants some profit for himself. Your question is still being discussed by microeconomist today and as long as it remains not perfectly answered economics will exist.

Answer 10

YES!!!!! cause if ppl want to earn more money for themselvs and they are gonna work harder to contribute to society, and when they do that the GNP and all of that goes up for EVERYONE!! and the more skills one person acquires also benefits EVERYONE.