When you indulge in the extra chocolate chip cookie, you’re satisfying your self-interest. Your brain says eat it.
And guess what? You happily oblige. It is a natural part of human nature that’s hard to control. You grew greedy eating the extra dessert.
Humans naturally gravitate to what makes them feel satisfied. Self-interest and greed are parts of human nature. Accepting self-interest as an absolute lessens the surprises when deciding someone’s intentions. Also, personal greed emphasizes gathering all the available resources.
As mentioned above, that chocolate chip cookie is your crutch. Do you want to find out why?
Continue reading below.
Survival Instincts: Human Nature and Self-Interest
Before red lights and streets, tribes blazed their trails through the deep wilderness. Every day consisted of risks and rewards.
Successful hunting expeditions ensured abundant food. The peril of wild lions, boars, and buffaloes threatened a successful outcome.
Gathering resources is a primal instinct bound by self-interest.
Consider, for example, your pursuit of an ideal mate.
Have you wondered why women test men while dating?
She has lots of choices when it comes to suitors. She wants someone with high social value.
In other words, she requires someone with ambition, integrity, and physically fit as her. All these traits demonstrate a future provider that compliments what she represents.
It is in a woman’s self-interest and human nature to marry the best possible person.
Unions aim to produce the strongest offspring. Everyone thinks about family legacy. Keeping your lineage means putting all your most desirable genes in your children.
In the animal kingdom, males battle each other to secure the attention of the female.
Humans clash for each other’s affection in less violent forms. Instead of using force, we engage in flirty discussions. We spark the desired attraction emotions through these peaceful means.
Furthermore, I will describe 2 important aspects of human nature discussed by 2 different authors.
1. Humans are Naturally Aggressive Creatures
Hobbes described how humans are fundamentally flawed in his book The Leviathan. He concluded war is a natural cycle for humans if left without a master.
Contrary to individual rights, he said we should submit our human nature to a monarch- or king. Today, we’d call them dictators.
To Hobbes, that’s the only way to control the human tendency toward violence and self-interest.
He believed in the divine right of kings to rule over their people.
Let’s draw a few conclusions from his writings.
The founding fathers instituted a constitutional republic to combat this human nature. We live in a civil society bound by individual rights and the rule of law.
Having a king is different than having a democracy elected by the citizens- not subjects.
Our American survival instinct is to protect our beloved country from the human nature of tyrants gaining absolute power.
2. Humans are Irrational
In a book titled The Laws of Human Nature, Robert Greene asserted all humans are irrational. And he described some of the basic strategies to handle the unpredictable human. Reference his book for specific tactics.
Irrational means people do the complete opposite of what they say.
We are social creatures bound by our own needs. Sometimes our goals don’t align with the benefit of others. You’ll call this selfishness.
Human nature makes us want people or items others have. The term we use is “envy”. Envy is irrational.
Shouldn’t we be happy with the way things are? Sadly, the answer is no.
Ayn Rand- a prominent author- discussed “ethical egoism”. She focused on “rational, self-interest”.
You must train the beast and emotional mentality out of human nature.
Figuratively speaking, plop yourself as an obstacle on the train track of human nature to derail it. You can be rational with a little awareness and practice.
You become rational by seeking knowledge and learning new skills.
Is Greed the Enemy?
This one word “greed” brings out emotions and visceral hatred.
Greed leads to starting wars and bringing out the worst in humanity. Therefore, it is an enemy worth noting.
Human nature states people want maximum wealth and power due to selfishness. The leading contributor is greed.
Understanding the “why” will help answer the question of the human tendency toward self-interest.
Greed makes people want all the possible resources. These assets include:
- natural resources
- people
- land
King George III, for example, wanted access to the resources of North America. He didn’t want to give American revolutionaries liberty.
When World War II soldiers boarded boats from England to liberate France, they wanted to save a world full of greed.
Adolf Hitler represented an apex narcissist. He sparked a world war because of his desire for more.
He is the classic example of a dictator wanting to conquer the world. We define modern history as either before or after World War II.
In other words, we use it as a major timestamp measuring events. That’s a significant indicator of greed when you quantify history from such an event.
Furthermore, to control greed, you can’t hide from the fact it exists.
It is a pervasive problem existing since the first sunrise of humanity.
You have greed. You’re human, right? Two words explain how greed persists: “human nature”.
It is a manageable evil.
How do you control it?
Acknowledging the fact some people will forever have it. Because you can’t control everything in this world.
Many of our regulations help prevent unfair practices where greed tries to intervene.
Martha Stewart, for example, went to prison due to insider company trading. I won’t forget that moment in history.
Who knew the cooking lady would be in a bright orange prison jumpsuit because of greed?
My point is that the most harmless people are subject to greed. But she got caught in her sins.
Bernie Madoff is one of the biggest frauds in history. He started a Ponzi scheme stealing more than $64.8 billion in assets. That’s more than some smaller countries’ gross domestic product (GDP).
We must accept that greed is present in human nature. It isn’t an excuse to forgive all misfortunes. But it helps explain how to cope with the aftermath of its societal grip.
Self-Interest Related Articles:
• Madoff pursued his own interest. How do ethics combat his behavior? LEARN MORE by reading my article on ethics of self-interest.
• I know you want to go after what you want too. LEARN MORE about how to dream and pursue your interests. I give you a pep talk. Everyone needs a jumpstart sometimes.
Children: A True Example of Human Nature
Small children are examples of human nature in a small controllable form. They’re little cuddly savages who have no filter and are greedy tiny, cute monsters.
They represent the raw emotions of human beings.
What other kinds of humans can get away with as much as small children?
If an adult cries, everyone stares. If a child cries, everyone shrugs their shoulders because it is an acceptable social behavior for the little barbarians.
Think of children like this. They display the unfiltered behaviors of human nature.
Here are some examples:
- Irrational Behavior
You can’t reason with a small child. Children don’t understand what’s acceptable.
Young ones draw on the walls with crayons. That’s a natural part of their self-interest because they want “to make the room pretty”.
They like bright colors. Gray, white, and other dull colors aren’t their friend.
It is irrational for adults to spend great amounts of money to repair the damage. White walls are fine the way they are.
Like children’s behavior, you can’t always explain the conduct of others. That’s human nature in action.
- Selfish
When a single child gains a sibling, greed becomes apparent. The spotlight on them disappears.
They now have to share attention with a sibling. While a child’s greed isn’t financial, it is time and attention.
Thus, when they become older, it changes to more financial, physical assets, or power.
Living in a civilized society requires children to control aspects of their own natural self-interest.
When they become older, their younger behaviors are no longer tolerated. They must accept personal responsibility and “adult” like the rest of us.
Again, they’re prime examples of human nature. Children enter a world without any preconceived notions of right or wrong. They’re the raw humans some adults desire to be.
Conclusion
Humans will do whatever is necessary to survive. It’s human nature.
Understanding it is key to confronting the downfalls natural to us. You might consider yourself above human nature. But you aren’t.
Have you ever felt the need for revenge after an argument? You displayed human nature when you wanted retribution.
For a temporary second, you became irrational wanting to inflict your personal justice on your enemy.
The rule of law and our justice system helps reduce your irrationality. It provides an outlet to shackle your emotions.
Greed also presents itself throughout human history. It caused wars and unspeakable human suffering. It will never go away.
But civil society quells it with laws as rules of engagement.
Humans are naturally self-interested in what benefits them. It is in our DNA. Being aware is one of the best protections to prevent it.
Essentially, we developed human psychology to help explain human nature and self-interest.
What are your natural self-interest actions you do? Look within yourself and you’ll find them.
J. Liberty
- Human nature is unexplainable in society but self-interest is easier. LEARN MORE by reading my premiere article in this self-interest mini-series with self-interest fueling society. I do give you information about the king of capitalism- Adam Smith.
- Individualism vs Collectivism is the battle between greed and human interest. LEARN MORE about this saga in my post.
References:
Bejan, T. M. (2010). Teaching the Leviathan: Thomas Hobbes on Education. Oxford Review of Education, 36(5), 607-626.
Greene, R. (2018). The Laws of Human Nature. New York: Penguin Random House, LLC.
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