Dear Jethro of the UK,
You are right. This is a worthy philosophical thought to ponder.
Like everything else, what we term "selfish" as a disposition can
be multiply realized, esp. within the personal ethics of virtue dealt
mostly Anscombe - (although, I expand further on her issues regarding
the dispositional concept of "virtue.")
Most religions consider it a negatively derived understanding.
In many ways, it is. But in other ways, care for the self may not be
deemed as so negative or even "selfish."
In this, there are many ways where ***care for the self*** can be a
form of religious conduct, although, I cannot term it as "selfish"
within its strict and negatively derived social construction.
I could cite various passages of Islam, Buddhism, Christianity, and
Hinduism, but I would like to elaborate further from my favorite guru
"Susan."
She is my flight attendant on my way home. Here are her words.
"When the oxygen masks falls, please strap on your oxygen mask before
you strap on the oxygen mask of your child."
Why? If you yourself are losing O2, then you cannot properly fasten on
the O2 mask of your child and therefore endanger you both. ;-)
In this, if you do not care for yourself there is no way to care for
others. :-) This is the ethic of "self" conduct. Even if you are
not caring for others, it might do you well to exercise and eat well.
There is an old zen parable that talks about it in the same way. The
story is a bit long, but here is the synopsis.
One day after years of studying with his zen master, a disciple decided
it was time for him to leave.
His master said before he leaves, he would like to impart upon him a
final teaching that would encapsulate all that is Dharma.
The next morning after packing his things, he saw his master for the
final teaching.
The zen master said, "Have you packed yet?"
"Good."
"It is chilly out there. Take care of yourself," and walked away.
In this, without care for oneself, there is no way to enact compassion
and clear mind to care for others. It is something that God cannot do
for us, but only something we can do for ourselves and for each other.
The Buddha for all his teachings about "liberation from self" had
to eat and wash before he can obtain enlightenment and preach at the
Deer Park.
Just my two cents. :-) BT
JethroUK=A9 wrote:
how can i say that?
because i figured it's totally impossible for anyone to prove they ever d=
id
anything for any other reason than selfishness
=20
it's a nice philosophical point for you to ponder
.
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