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Are We Inherently Selfish?

In the speech "This is Water," David Foster Wallace explores concepts of selfishness - that humans tend to have a "default setting" of self-centered behavior. Wallace asserts that this mindset is apparent in everyday life. He describes the stress and frustration surrounding an average work day, attributing this behavior to our unempathetic attitudes. Furthermore, he convinces the audience that by recognizing the struggles that others may have, they can live a more fulfilling lifestyle.






However, humans also exhibit traits of generosity and kindness, especially when it comes to volunteering organizations or homeless shelters. This contrasts harshly with the ideas laid out by Wallace. 

Moreover, University of Michigan researcher Felix Warneken argues that "kids have a spontaneous biologically based tendency to care about others," suggesting that we are not born selfish, perhaps it is a partially learned behavior. Therefore, it may be essential to preserve empathy and compassion in young children to ensure that they live the fulfilling lives that Wallace describes.








Overall, I think that humans exhibit traits of both selfishness and altruism. In the developed world, we often feel entitled - the whole world revolves around us. We are quick to get angry, stressed, or frustrated over minor inconveniences due to our mindset that everything should always go our way and that any deviation from our expectations is a failure on someone else's part. However, at the same time, some individuals are also quick to help those in need, between a couple dollars to a homeless person or donating blood or organs. Either way, it is important to cultivate traits of compassion and empathy to be stress-free in the future.

Comments

  1. AkshayaSeptember 17, 2023 at 9:07 PM

    I really like how you challenge Wallace's perspective on human selfishness and back it up with evidence and research as well as how you eventually come to the conclusion that it is both selfishness and generosity that make up humans

    ReplyDelete

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