Do you think that human beings are born selfish or is this learned?
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Highlander is semi-retired from AB
ANSWERS: 25
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Selfishness is definitely a human trait. We all have it, but its how you conduct yourself, and how you choose to live that matters.
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I think that greed, selfishness and many others (if not all) of our negative inclinations are wired into our genes from our primitive past when that was what we all needed in order to survive. It's a part of our ROM and I don't think that it's learned. Just look at two toddlers; one has an object the other wants so he/she takes it. Somewhere along the line we realized that sharing and cooperation actually gave us far more and our societies taught and hopefully will continue to teach us to overcome this built-in negativeness.
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I think it's easy to let ourselves go that way because we are born with s small portion of it. But if we are raised by loving generous parents and we are shown how to treat others like we want others to treat us, it can be kept small, instead of feeding it by their bad examples.
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Born selfish.As soon as our grand old parents sinned(Adam and eve) sin came into picture and it includes all sorts of sins, whether we look it as sin or not. So it does dwell in us right from our birth.
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Humans are born with both selfish and unselfish instincts. Obviously, we are born with instincts to look after ourselves - if we don't, who will, You are the only person who actually knows how hungry you are. But equally, we are born social animals. We are born to care for those close to us - whoever they may be. Which of these two natural instincts dominate, or rather how they mix together, depends upon upbringing. Someone brought up in a strong community, where all around support each other, will learn to do the same. Someone brought up in a harsh world, without examples around of people helping each other and contributing to the common good, will be dominated by their selfish side. Nature and nurture mix to make the final person.
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I think needs and wants are the first things we learn to express, and therefore may dominate our thinking somewhat, but it is not something we are born with. It is just developed early, encouraged because it is self-rewarding, and not adequately balanced by awareness of the comparable needs and wants of others. I hope that love would also be something we would develop early and learn to express.
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I think people become more selfish as they mature and grow because unselfishness is taught and people can either choose to be unselfish or selfish.
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Sharing is a more learned trait than being selfish. Selfishness is a instinct as to assure ones survival, goes back to when humans where hunter gatherers. Humans would share out of necessity for survival, so living in groups would assure our survival and to live in groups sharing was necessary.
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It depends on what you mean by selfish. I think that, yes, the human gene is selfish in its need to survive and reproduce...but I also believe in altruism. These two theories really don't conflict--they both ensure the survival of the species.
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I don't think that babies are thinking of saving the world.
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Basically all human beings are born with certain amount of selfishness. This is a natural instinct for preservation and propagation of the human species. Simultaneously there is also a noble quality called " Compassion" in human race to limit and over come this selfishness.
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I think we are born selfish as a survival instinct and learn to cooperate as we get older.
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No, people are taught that. And can be their enviorment. Poor people don't usually act spoiled and/or selfish.
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I believe we are all born with a tendency to be selfish, and that we are all born with a sinful nature. That is why we must be born again. Thank you and may God bless you. :) -In Jesus' Name.
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I believe it is a learned behavior
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it's learned if it's an extreme but every human has instinct to survive. but when it becomes a matter of putting ourself first at the expense of another to where the other is disadvantaged...well i think that's learned
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I believe that some is nature but a large part of it is nurture.
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Learned.
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People are born selfish. The only thing that human beings can do with their selfishness is decreasing it or increasing it. Human beings are naturally selfish.
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Our nerve endings are connected to ourselves - not to other people. In that sense, our own pain usually exceeds the pain we see in others and we are born selfish. This is not an iron-clad rule. For example: An elder sibling may 'feel the pain' of seeing a younger one punished and may prefer to be the one punished so the younger one doesn't get hurt. So things like that muddy the waters a bit.
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It is learnt as a survival method. This selfishness was not inherent in early humans, but the selfish humans have a history of eliminating unselfish humans. There are still unselfish humans in aboriginal tribes around the world, but they are on the fast road to extinction. Perhaps even faster than the selfish ones.
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Entered in error, please cancel.
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I definately think its something that we learn, whether it be from our parents or other, i dont think you can be born selfish, buit i think its something we have control over if we really want to!
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I believe we are born with certain animal instincts that can be likened to selfishness. We learn to work with these instincts and overcome them. We learn through experience and trial and error how to direct our impulses in ways that allow us to take part in society and to be in relationships.
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Instincts will always be in debate. Reptile and insect instincts are more obvious, but mammmals (humans) also have instincts. All though these instincts might not be as apparent, they are there. Human baby's automatically want to feed and come out of the womb crying. Baby's have many differnent forms of crying some meaning they are hungry others meaning they need to be burped and so on. These are obviously not taught audible sounds. Mammals have just become more reliant on other beings to support their earlier stages of life, hiding the fact that they are just reliant on their instincts as other beings. If as a species humans began raising their baby's in the wild slowly depriving human babies the luxiouries (not sure if that is spelled right) they are given today, the instincts would become more obvious. In today's world human babies are catered on every account.
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