Altruism vs Selfishness, page-2

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moorookamick

22,068 Posts.

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04/12/21

08:53

Post #: 58068998
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Originally posted by moorookamick: ↑

Over the past year there has been considerable conflict
expressed on HC about topics ranging for the jab to
Australia's overall economic position .

Apart from the typical Right/Left debate on what ought to be
done and perceived reality , there was considerable anxt
about issues that seemingly involved the individual vs society

- I wont have the jab because it may damage me vs take one(or 2) for the general good
-minimum tax vs apt tax for now & to pay down debt
-save my polluting job vs long term climate change
-I hate the cops vs the need for the rule of law
-personal freedom vs Liberty
-I want my inheritance vs we should all compete on a level playing field like the footy
-etc etc

IMO the proper way to look at individual needs and wants & what makes a good society
is if we step back a generalise our specific needs & wants:
that is what kind of society would we have if everyone behaved the way I do
and had and acted on my needs wants and advocated freedoms & responsibilities or lack there-of similar to mine?.

Take one extreme example:
I'm coerced into paying $20K P/A tax now but I dont want to pay tax.
If one generalised that we would end up starving a government of capital to operate
and snuff out our representative form of Government as we know it and relegate
Government to the 'benevolent" rich, like those in the past ,who would likely, over time, act in self interest.

Would this be acceptable?

So the big question is : do we now have the right mix of Altruism & Selfishness now
or does it need to be tweaked a bit one way or the other for the general good/

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Those who have read Erich Fromm will enjoy this link, IMO.:

https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.01006/full
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