Selfishness In The Film 'Jakob The Liar'

Several people may assume that selfishness is both unhealthy and wrong. A selfish person usually puts his own needs before the needs of other people. Selfish people need to be able to draw the line between when they need to worry about themselves, or when they should be concerned about other people. In The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald, in the view of Tom Buchanan and Jay Gatsby, it is evident that the nature of man is showing selfishness through cruelty, greed, and manipulation. Cruelty is just one way that the nature of man shows selfishness.

Is Survival Selfish? “It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent, but the one most responsive to change” (Darwin). When pondering about the question if survival is selfish or not it comes with varied reactions and answers. Some may say “survival of the fittest (metaphor),” but is that really true? Not necessarily, it takes common sense, and how you react to determine how the situation will end.

“Is Survival Selfish” is an argumentative text written by Lane Wallace. The text focuses on the question of whether survival is an act of selfishness or intelligence. Author Wallace also draws your attention to whether saving someone in dire situations is altruism or idiocy. Throughout the story, the author provides evidence in means to support her claim and reasons. Wallace believes that “self-preservation” isn’t always instinctual and there are many factors involved, including the fact that every survival testing situation is different.

The short stories “The Lottery” by Shirley Jackson and “The ones who walk away from Omelas” by Ursulak LeGuin , both are fiction. They both sacrifice each other's family members. The sacrifice helps them in many ways such as happiness. They both try and convince the readers that they are in a perfect place.

Theme Analysis in Tobias Wolff’s “Hunters in the Snow” Hunters in the Snow identifies a theme of how selfish and careless humans can be when faced with a conflicting situation that affects one’s action. Imagine you’re in a troublesome situation lost in the middle of nowhere with a group of friends, most likely you would be confused or upset, or simply be in wanderlust; however this could lead into insanity and even deciding to only fend for yourself. Next thing you know, you turn against your friends and try to rekindle a friendship after the fire you had between with them burnt out. This is similar to what goes in the story, Hunters in the Snow, with three men out hunting in a cold, hostile environment.

Harry Browne says that all human beings are selfish in everything they do. He elaborates on this statement by saying; all humans selfishly pursue their own happiness. This way of thinking is an example of “X” thinking, in which you believe that humans are one thing and one thing only. Being an “A to Z” thinker, I believe that all humans can be whatever they choose.

Selfishness vs. Selflessness The words selfish and selfless are two completely different words with two completely different meanings, yet they get confused quite often. In “Of Mice and Men,” some readers may envision the character George as selfish or harsh towards Lennie, however, Steinbeck portrays George as selfless. George and Lennie find themselves in penurious situations very often. This is burdensome for George considering Lennie’s mental disability, and it should be expected that George will become infuriated with him at times.

If man where aware of his selfishness how could he able to sacrifice some of his smaller ends for the sake of larger. Even granting that man sacrifices some of his smaller ends only because he is calculative weight the higher ends and evaluates them accordingly, does it not indicate, in some sense, that man is not utterly selfish and un improvably bad, Distinguishing between the smaller and the bigger end is synonymous with evaluating them and, to choose one against the other implies not merely that man has a capacity for evaluating alternatives but also that he is capable of directing his will on to accomplishing that he thinks desirable.” Reflecting along these lines we are unable to diagnose the social ill.

I say that most forms of universalised hedonism lead to an emphasis on unselfishness, because there is one obvious exception. It has sometimes been held that the greatest general good results from everyone pursuing his own interests as hard as he can without any regard to anyone else's. Clearly such a view leaves room for unselfishness only in a very paradoxical sense. The only way in which I can display unselfishness, in the sense of a proper recognition of other people's interests, is by behaving in the sort of way normally regarded as thoroughly selfish. Unselfishness in the ordinary sense is for such a view as this not a virtue but a vice.

Maria Monserrat Larkin 28 April 2015 Exam 2 Ethical vs Psychological Egoism Egoism is the theory that one 's self is the motivation and goal of one 's own action. “The term egoism derives from ego, the Latin term for 'I ' in English. (Moseley)” There are two types of egoism: psychological and ethical.

Selfishness and selflessness in Australian Society Humans are the most selfish creatures to ever walk the earth. We can however, also be considered as the most selfless beings. The theory of nationalism and sacrifices towards the ‘greater good’ are the two leading forces behind this sense of self-value that have been present in society for centuries. The destruction of the environment for personal gain as well as the destruction of human life for the benefit of the country are examples of these forces. I am passionate about this issue because I do not believe in the carless and unnecessary waste of life or the environment.