Would you say most people are inherently selfish or selfless?

Question

Would you say most people are inherently selfish or selfless?

Answer 1

People can be both, it depends on the situation...

Answer 2

I will admit it, Im selfish. I think everyone has to have a little bit of selfishness in them or they would never be happy.

When it comes to my daughter though, Im tottaly selfless.  

Answer 3

No I think it boils down to CHOICE.  People who are self absorbed and even greedy tend to be this way. Usually they become this way because of something that happened to them along the way.  It is like a self preservation. They build up walls instead of building bridges and that is a tragedy because inside those walls is a quivering blob of jelly!

It is possible that if the parents are selfish people or selfless, that a person can learn this behavior from them. There are occurrences where a man for example who has had a mother who was a witch from h**l in that she was manipulative and conniving and an emotional blackmailer, incensed her son so badly that when he marries he takes out all his anger on the poor innocent victim and gives her a life of h**l. He is know as a misogynist.  It's a tragedy what people do and never consider the outcome way down the line of their selfish ways.

No I really think its what people choose.

Answer 4

Im selfish and ungrateful, yet its not something im proud of. Everyone has at least a slight bit of selfishness in them. Even if its 1 thing the most importnant thing in the world, our selfish. Im selfish i have a family or always want something. Yet others in the world dont have a family or always wanted something such as a few bucks to stay alive.

Thats how i see it. Yet im probably more extreme then that. Theres many kinds of things related to selfishness(well i see them as.)

Either you want for yourself, you want someone to give you something(such as poverty), you want something you can't have and what you do have. Or not wanting to give back, which is greedy and one of the selfishness i am. Even tho im a 14yr old selfish person i still attempt to give back even when i dont want to. ;) Hope this helps.

Answer 5

Unfortunately, its human nature that we all selfish people who try to be selfless.  

Answer 6

Can't we be both?

I'm sure I'm both, and I doubt I'm that unusual.

Answer 7

Selfish, narcissistic.  

How many Mother Teresa's do you know?

The Bible will back this up, and it's been on the best seller's list for years

Started long ago, I mean, what could have gotten Cain so pissed off at Able....the channel changer?  

Giving you a star for a thoughtful question.

One man's opinion.  'Mean' Mike

Answer 8

I think most people are inherently selfish.  But I really hope that I am wrong, as the survival of our species, even more, our world, depends upon it.  It will take all of us, all five billion plus of us pulling together to survive the 'extinction level event' (ELE) that we may be faced with in the next few years. (2012, the end of the Mayan Calendar, is the year many have prognosticated to be the 'end.')