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Politics : Libertarian Discussion Forum
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To: Neocon who wrote (1776)3/1/1999 2:49:00 PM
From: MeDroogies  Read Replies (1) of 13062
 
I didn't ignore anything. You choose not to accept my viewpoint. To gain enjoyment from an act, you can enjoy the act and not the person to whom you perform it for/with. (consider a john visiting a prostitute...most johns couldn't care who they're with. And to say it isn't fulfilling for the john is a subjective viewpoint. I once had a friend who explained "Tom doesn't HAVE to pay for sex. Tome LIKES to pay for sex." Why? Because the girl left afterward, and he wanted no attachments.).

I didn't ignore the qualification about selfishness vis-a--vis self-interestedness. It's just wrong to claim they are one in the same. Self-interestedness is an extreme of selfishness. That others view them as similar, or one in the same (as you seem to) may create the perception of a pejorative. But that is not reality.
I have not ignored that man is a social animal. I don't believe he is totally social. I believe the social agent is an outgrowth of the needs of the individual, and as such negates the societal impact upon the individual, but not the reverse. Individuals can function without society, society cannot function without individuals. As such, that is the purest support for your statement (which I accept) about respect for ourselves dictates respect for others. In order for society to accept individuals, individuals must respect themselves to become a viable member of society. As such, the act of respect becomes an act of plurality and not individuality.
Do I really care for my children in order to reap benefit? Absolutely. But the terms of that benefit are not what you think they are. They aren't material at all. They are egotistical. Most people have children to accomplish the impossible - achieve immortality. Each child represents a portion of ourselves, physically and mentally, that lives on. How more selfish an act is there than being a parent?
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