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“But most people aren’t built that way” seems to be a pretty big assertion that, if really that obvious, would seem to imply some of the central questions posed

“But most people aren’t built that way” seems to be a pretty big assertion that, if really that obvious, would seem to imply some of the central questions posed and grappled with by centuries of religion and philosophy — “are humans naturally greedy or generous?” or the age-old government/cultural policy debates on collectivism versus individualism — are nothing more than superfluous navel gazing. I don’t have an answer either way. But I’m inclined to question this idea that just because things are the way they are now means that is the way they always were and will always be. How many people would be happy to expand that “small circle of precious lives” they make better if they could, but can’t due to the fact that, modern life now is seemingly a tangle of actively contradicting incentives? And how many people would, if they knew others would provide for all their needs and wants, act as solely a parasite to the system that feeds them? And would it be a critical mass that makes the whole system untenable, or just a relatively small group of bad apples accounted for by the number of people who give more than they take? Again, I don’t know the answer, and I do not pretend to. But I do think a blanket statement that more people are greedy than generous is more a commentary on modern politics - that maybe our current system of society forces people to behave that way - than the human condition.

andrewflnr 6y ago
> “are humans naturally greedy or generous?” I would say this one in particular is ill-posed. Paraphrasing hirundo, people are naturally generous toward a small circle of precious lives (and skeptical at best of the rest of the world). Asking about their attitude in general is meaningless.
- thebradbain 6y ago
  > "people are naturally generous toward a small circle of precious lives (and skeptical at best of the rest of the world)" Yes, that's a paraphrase of Hirundo's point. However, my point is that this assertion is by no means universally nor obviously a hard truth, and indeed still a large area of philosophical debate.

andrewflnr 6y ago

> “are humans naturally greedy or generous?” I would say this one in particular is ill-posed. Paraphrasing hirundo, people are naturally generous toward a small circle of precious lives (and skeptical at best of the rest of the world). Asking about their attitude in general is meaningless.

thebradbain 6y ago
> "people are naturally generous toward a small circle of precious lives (and skeptical at best of the rest of the world)" Yes, that's a paraphrase of Hirundo's point. However, my point is that this assertion is by no means universally nor obviously a hard truth, and indeed still a large area of philosophical debate.