Philosophy Now Forum

Daniel Dennett proposed the term "benselfishness" for what is being called here "enlightened self-interest". The prefix "ben" both means "good" -- as in beneficial -- and refers to Ben Franklin's admonition during the Revolutionary War that "Either we all hang together or we all hang, separately."

Once we set out to do what best benefits us, we look around and see that we come out way better when we are members in good standing of a social group.

wisdomlover wrote: ↑Fri Mar 02, 2018 10:16 pm Daniel Dennett proposed the term "benselfishness" for what is being called here "enlightened self-interest".

Yes, wisdomlover, thank you.

It is hard to be original. There are, under the Sun, no new ideas.

These days, I drop the word "enlightened" before "self-interest." And I take it as a given that most everyone is self-serving.

We don't have to be selfish or indifferent. There is another alternative! It is (around these parts) called being Ethical. For the person-in-the-street I designate it: having Moral Sense.

Many would like to have commonsense. Now, I hope they would also like to have moral-sense.

What it amounts to is realizing that every individual is of uncountably-high value - and is to be treated accordingly.
....although some have brain damage (and are among the handicapped) and this has made them into criminals, or madmen. And some are ignorant, or gullible, or naive, and this has made them selfish.