There has never been a theory about human nature which I hold so strongly that I have virtually elevated it to the status of sacred truth. It is a theory about self-interest and it says that we all act from self-interest, whether consciously or subconsciously.

I have read and pondered much about this intriguing subject of self, and the topics directly related to it, such as self-fulfillment, self-realization, self-identity, self-pride, self-conflict, self-delusion, etc, as well those topics impinging on it, such as love, fear, ambition, loyalty, sacrifice, honour, etc. I have tested the theory against other theories or models of human behaviour, in particular, the well-known Maslovian model of the hierarchy of needs, shaped like a pyramid, with the most fundamental needs of food and shelter forming the base, and going upwards through social needs, to the peak called ’self-actualisation’, at which point a person can truly say he has fully realized his potential as a human being.

My favourite mental game regarding this theory about self-interest has developed into a pleasurable parlour game involving only myself; it is a kind of intellectual solitaire. The only materials needed are a very large piece of paper (usually mahjong paper since it is the largest available) laid out flat on the table, and a colourful marker pen .

The game begins by my writing the word ‘Self Interest’ in large bold letters, in the centre of the sheet of paper. Around this word, I then scatter, in random fashion, all the words I can think of that unfailingly come up in any serious philosophical discussion on the meaning and purpose of existence—’God’, ‘religion’, ‘magic’, ‘culture’, ’society’,'morality’, ‘evil’, ‘heaven’, ‘love’, ‘fear’, ‘freedom’, ‘war’, ’science’, ‘competition’, ‘altruism’, ‘death’, ‘mortality’, ’sex’, ‘marriage’, ‘education’, ‘reward’, ‘punishment’, ‘guilt’, ’shame’, ‘duty’, ’superstition’, etc. etc.

Next I try to find a conceptual connection between ‘Self-Interest’ situated in the centre and any one of these words scattered around it, joining the two if I can find the connection. It is usually a cause-and-effect relationship. For instance, between ‘Self-interest’ and ‘religion’, there is a relationship which can be roughly expressed thus: ‘Religion, with its promise of an afterlife probably arose because of man’s fear of the unknown, particularly of death which means the end of the self.’

This statement of the relationship between the two concepts of self-interest and religion has brought in three other related concepts—fear, death, afterlife—so that instead of just a single connecting line, there is an intricate pattern of lines, forming a dense matrix, showing the intense connectivity of human thinking.

Another example would further show the special challenge of this intellectual parlour game. Suppose we try to see the cause-and-effect connection, whether directly or indirectly between self interest and something not usually connected with it, indeed something that is its exact opposite—altruism. Now we know that although selflessness exists, it is often actually self-interest in another form, as when generous acts are performed in the expectation or hope of reward. Even the completely selfless behaviour of parents in taking good care of their children, providing them with a good education, etc. may be seen as part of the need to provide for their own eventual old age and dependence.

Perhaps the best proof that altruism and self interest are two sides of the same coin comes from nature itself. Cave bats that are unable to go out to feed, because of weakness or injury, are fed by their returning companions regurgitating warm blood into their mouths, the very same companions who will be helped in the same way should they too need it in the future.

We see this principle of reciprocity operating very powerfully in the human world as well. It works the other way too, that is, when the positive feelings of gratitude, bonding, reward etc are replaced by the negative feelings of anger and hostility. Thus relational lines can also be drawn linking ’self interest’ to ‘competition’, ‘punishment’, ‘revenge’etc.

In our parlour game, then, a whole lot of relationships can be established between even seemingly unconnected concepts proving that in the final analysis, self-interest governs the entirety of human behaviour. This is not surprising given that self interest is the instinct of survival without which no living creature could live long enough to leave offspring in the world.

It will also not be surprising if among all the political systems that have been developed in human history, democracy, based on this primary fact of human nature, and expressed most compellingly in the capitalistic system of private enterprise, remains the most enduring.

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About Vignettes...

A continuing flow of little, readable pieces that will constitute what I feel is an important 'legacy of values' to leave behind. Read more about Vignettes...