"Selfishness": for Objectivists ONLY?

Question

What is it about Objectivism's definition of "selfishness" that makes you accept it?
Rand defined it as "rational self-interest," but many of you have heard other lengthy descriptions of it.

Answer 1

I agree with Rand's definition of the word in its literal meaning. I think that the popular usage has warped the its meaning to be synonymous with self-centered and that is inaccurate.

Answer 2

This is precisely it: all the debate here and in your other question, is about, and SOLELY about, the definition of words. And this is pecisely why I hold such a low opinion of the whole of western so-called 'philosophy'. It is no philosophy at all, the problem of selfishness itself, its roots, the problems it gives rise to and the ways towards its elimination, or its attenuation, if that proves impossible, are not touched.

So I can't, because I won't, even consider the definition of Objectivism, let alone accept it. I leave this task to linguists and semanticists in particular. It is enough, even too much, dealing with the problem of selfishness itself.

Answer 3

My definition of the terms has changed with age and experience. What was once my view of self-interest has expanded. In my youth I did not always consider the needs of others, but I no longer see a division between my own needs and the rest of the universe in general. We are not separate.

Answer 4

ill try my best.
you wouldnt be interested in helping someone if they were going to kill you because of it would you?

therefore you realize a maximum loss in that decision, no personal benefit at all.

but if you did it out of the goodness of you heart(altruistic) you would be dead because of that decision, no one in there right mind would ever do such a thing.

you do things that benefit you, sometimes that also means doing something that benefits someone else, because we are obviously by necessity need to learn to live together.

but never should you do something that is solely in the interest of someone esle and not hardly in your own interest.

Answer 5

To be concern with one own welfare may be good, but why care about anything at all, because caring is the cause of stress, and the greatest virture to me is to not live for yourself, but for the welfare of other. You are only one person, but to help other and live for other, your contribution to the world is less worthless. What is worthless is Ayn Rand.

Answer 6

Self-interest is not only rational, it is instinctual.

If we objectively applied this rational self-interest to our planet as a whole, then perhaps we could make selfishness a selfless virtue.