Our
founding fathers envisioned a nation guided by enlightened self-interest
By Mark Ruscoe,
Local Columnist
Every once in a while, an
opinion on the AC-T editorial pages reaches out and grabs me in a way I can't
explain at first. The June 8 column by
We do, although really, isn't
that what the art of editorializing is all about -- point/counter- point? And a
certain amount of strawman mentality
is inherent and unavoidable in this activity. But the really thought-provoking
parts for me were his comments regarding "self-interest," which came
in for quite a bit of criticism. He said, "Civilization depends on
rejecting the belief that self-interest is the dominant motivation." And
that "norms of civilized societies are based on the opposite belief -- that humans often rise above self-interest." In other
words, how undesirable for society it is when people cannot rise above their
own self-interested impulses. Now I have no idea where his politics lie, but
this petition for selflessness is one that I see made frequently nowadays by
those who have liberal inclinations. Indeed, our two main political parties can
be loosely defined by this terminology: selfless, humanitarian Democrats and
selfish, cold-hearted Republicans. So if he would permit me to violate his
other admonition, let me attribute motives to those who would make this
argument.
I want to examine how
self-interest is actually part of our fabric, how the term is misused, and how
honesty about it would be to our benefit. First,
psychologically. According to Maslow's Theory
of Self-Actualization, our primal needs are self-interested -- that is for
physical homeostasis and protection -- fundamentally selfish needs. All else
follows and is secondary. Perhaps in difficult times such as these, we become
more acutely tuned to these basics.
At any rate, I think it pays
to recognize that no matter how well we transcend the fundamentals, on a deep
personal level, we all are selfish. Think about it. If you have an opinion at
all, isn't it by definition a selfish one? Of course it is. It's unavoidable.
It is impossible to separate "ourselves" from our self-interest. Your
point of view, even if it is unselfish, is generated from your self-interest.
Mine too. Don't even manners and sacrifice for others (which I heartily
recommend) have at their core an element of selfishness? Don't they allow us to
feel better about ourselves, make us feel closer to our God, or give us that
selfish feeling of "order" in our world?
Our country was founded on
self-interested principles. Go back and reread the Bill of Rights. Freedom of speech, freedom to bear arms, freedom of religion, the
rest. Sure, formulated in a context to provide for common benefit, but
originating in individual, self-centered rights. Totalitarians eat selfless
people for lunch. So it was important in these founding principles to stress
individualism, even at the expense of failure ("the pursuit of
happiness"-- not "the guarantee of happiness").
Our economic model,
capitalism, is based on self-interest. A man, through the fruit of his labor,
sustains himself, thus finding self-worth and respect. Unfortunately, this
principle, maybe above all others, comes under intense fire from those who see
income redistribution as more selfless and enlightened. As a consequence
however, the recipient of this selfless behavior by others fails to realize his
self-worth and self-respect. Thus the cycle is endlessly repeated, to
everyone's detriment. Many at the bottom of our society, the most vulnerable
among us, are now spiritless, characterless wards of the state as a result of
this vicious cycle.
And of
course, politically.
Ah, yes! Perhaps the ultimate venue for self-interested behavior, disguised as
selflessness. Liberals, ever the clever ones, have elevated this to an art
form. Kind and thoughtful appeals to selfless behavior by those on the left, I
confess, arouse deep suspicions within me.
When I hear this moralizing, I
get the distinctly uncomfortable feeling I'm being lured down the road to some
various watering down of a standard; more relativism, more appeasement, more
taxes -- the usual litany of grand designs.
I visualize the sentimental
posturing of Clintonian lip biting, the false "I
feel your pain" empathy and -- excuse me, it makes me want to gag. I
visualize the selfless abdication of our personal and national sovereignty to
such communal bodies as the United Nations or the International Criminal Court
-- then the resultant subversion of our individuality as a just nation to the
sewer that much of the world is becoming.
It's time we reject this
"It takes a village" selfless mental mush, realizing that it does no
one any favors. Only when we confront honestly the realization of our innate
selfishness can we honestly deal with others (and dare I say, with God -- for
the charade of selflessness in God's presence is but hypocrisy). Anyway, yes,
manners are important. Civility is important. Kindness is important. Even
giving one's life for another is important.
But enlightened self-interest
is what will let us fashion a society and world that works, exactly as was
envisioned by our founding fathers. Not by cloying appeals to selfless, liberal
groupthink, which to me has the faint, but unmistakable odor of collectivism.
Mark Ruscoe
lives in