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Introduction

Human beings are naturally self-centered and selfish. They have a basic drive for self-preservation and power. Being naturally selfish, all their activities are at first directed towards the gratification of the self. Selfishness regularly results in cruelty in the testament of subordinates, be they servants or animas. The theory that human beings are so constituted by nature to the extent that they are incapable of desiring or pursuing anything but their own wellbeing as an end in itself is referred to as psychological egoism (Flescher, Worthen and Worthen 60). If real morality needs selfless devotion to other people even at the cost of one’s own interests, then all human beings have failed the morality test. It is impossible to serve the interest of everyone to the extent of denying one the basic requirements of decency. Most psychological egoists seek some ways to reconcile necessarily selfish motivation with the unselfish and even self-sacrificing conduct needed by morality. However, the act of completely surrendering personal good for the benefit of public good may result in self-ruin. Therefore, human beings must be inherently selfish for them to survive in an extremely competitive world.

Why Humans Are Naturally Born Selfish

Human beings are products of natural selection, and as such, are not altruistic in any way. Therefore, it would be wrong to behave altruistically in an environment that operates on the basis of the principle of survival for the fittest (Berry, 2). Even during conception, it is only the strongest and most competent sperm that succeeds in fertilizing the ovary. Even if it were possible to behave altruistically, it would be wrong to do so. It is only natural to be selfish at all times and in all matters, since selfish conduct is ethically justifiable. Altruism is essentially a violation of the laws of nature (Robinson 1). This is because all actions are often motivated by selfish interests. Even when humans are perceived to be helping out the weak, they do so with the primary motive of helping the self.

While people generally work together to pursue collective dreams, there are instances of selfish behaviors that cannot be overlooked. For instance, in the case of the classic Prisoner’s Dilemma, there are less chances of people’s willingness to set aside their selfish interests in order to arrive at a greater good (Pappas 2). Being selfish is often more beneficial than cooperating. The advantage may be short-lived, however. In Plato’s Republic, Socrates is involved in a discussion with his older brother Glaucon. In this extensive discussion, Glaucon stresses on the idea that people’s positive behavior essentially exists for self-interests. From these arguments, it can be deduced that people only do the right things because they are afraid of facing tough punishments in the event that they are found guilty. However, if human activities would have been invisible to other people, then even the most righteous and supposedly generous man on earth would behave purely in the basis of serving himself and not take care if he harmed anybody in the process.

According to Thomas Hobbes, a renowned English philosopher, the natural state of man’s life would be unattractive, nasty and short if he had not pursued selfish interests. The very urge of humans to form governments explains their selfish interests (Pappas 2). From the arguments proposed by Hobbes, human beings should form social contracts and governing institutions in order to deter their selfish interests and violent tendencies from taking over. Thus, such institutions have been formed after acknowledging that humans are naturally born selfish and are likely to make their selfishness infringe on other people’s rights. To avoid this tendency, humans must form laws, institutions, and groups that seek to safeguard their well beings.

If humans had not been inherently selfish, then all societal problems could have ended. The primary cause of all the societal problems is selfishness and pursuit of personal interests. While the world is rich with resources that can help all humans, there is still a high population of poor, landless, homeless, and hungry people who cannot afford to raise money to fend for their lives. The income inequality that the United States is facing today has been brought by individualistic capitalist system (Chandler 1). This explains why a rich man who owns thousands of hectares of land is not still ready to accommodate a vast population of homeless people. Moreover, everybody wants to get ahead, but they do that in ways that may harm others. For instance, climate change is brought by greedy human activities that include pollution to pursue profit at the expense of human and animal life. Coal companies continue to emit toxic gases that cause cancer and other lower respiratory infections since they put profit ahead of human life. These cases attest to the selfish nature of human beings.

The deviant, Machiavellian behaviors that humans exhibit on a regular basis have been brought by natural causation. Even during their infantry, some children have been known to be naturally good at playing with other people’s minds (Chandler 2). These people will do anything within their power and capacity to get ahead of others and have a callous disregard for other individuals’ feelings and state of the mind. Thus, it is no surprise that many people are often calculative and ready to exploit others’ vulnerabilities for self-gain.

Conclusion

Selfishness is one of the natural behaviors that human beings possess. Contrary to common belief that selfishness is an acquired trait, humans are born selfish since they are products of natural selection that is based on the premise of survival for the fittest. Furthermore, the clamor for fame and material possession is sometimes done without regard for other people’s well-beings.

Works Cited

Berry, William. “You're So Selfish.” Psychology Today, 19 Apr 2016. Web.

Chandler, Lori. “Study: Brains of Selfish People Immediately Seek to Exploit Others.” Big

Think, 2016. Web.

Flescher, Andrew Michael, Daniel L. Worthen, and Daniel Worthen. The altruistic species:

Scientific, philosophical, and religious perspectives of human benevolence. Templeton

Foundation Press, 2007.

Pappas, Stephanie. “Conflicts of Interest: Are Humans Inherently Selfish?” Live Science, 23 Feb

2017. Web.

Robinson, Matthew. “Are People Naturally Inclined to Cooperate or Be Selfish?” Scientific

American, 1 Sep 2014. Web.