Imagine, if you will, a crowded,
standing-room only subway car during rush hour. Even though people are
standing, a seated passenger keeps his backpack on the seat next to his. It would
be difficult upon seeing such a sordid display of selfishness not to reflect on
the person’s values and character. The flipside of selfishness would be obvious:
an indifference towards other people, including that which might benefit them.
Instead, selfishness, which is self-love that is oriented teleologically to the
person’s own benefit (i.e., private benefit) at the expense of benefits to
other people and even a society as a whole. The shift from the ethical domain
to that of religion may seem easily done—people of bad character are likely to go
to hell rather than heaven—but not so fast, lest we presume to be omniscient (i.e.,
all-knowing) and capable of promulgating divine justice. It is indeed
very tempting to relegate selfish people to hell.
The full essay is at "Selfishness and Damnation on a Subway."
