this post was submitted on 30 Nov 2024
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[–] [email protected] 3 points 3 weeks ago (2 children)

It is rational self interest, not rational group interest. Hence why she doesn't act in a way that would benefit others, because they can now do twice the output in the same amount of time because of the machine!

'Rational self interest' is just being selfish.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 3 weeks ago (2 children)

Rational group interest IS rational self-interest.

As social animals living in communities and as part of any number of groups, we must, if we're rational, be mindful of the well-being of groups, because our own well-being depends on it.

'Rational self interest' is just being selfish.

No it in fact is not. Selfishness causes any number of negative consequences - suffering, hostility, crime, conflict, rebellion, war, death... So it's bludgeoningly obviously irrational, and therefore cannot be rational self interest.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 3 weeks ago

No it in fact is not. Selfishness causes any number of negative consequences - suffering, hostility, crime, conflict, rebellion, war, death… So it’s bludgeoningly obviously irrational, and therefore cannot be rational self interest.

for 99% of people yes. but if you happen to be at the very top of the ladder and if things are broken enough you can be self interested into destroying the world. Fact is the guillotines aren't being rolled out. The protests that happen are pretty consistently swatted with barely a weeks hindrance to the years between them. We all suffer the consiquences of the olligarchy, the ones making the laws and decisions are largely above those hardships.

[–] [email protected] -1 points 3 weeks ago

Self is group, group is self.

Dog is cat

Water is dry

Up is down

[–] [email protected] -1 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

'Rational self interest' is just being selfish.

*Irrational self interest. Rational self interest would still involve improving the worker's lives due to the support structure that a community brings

[–] [email protected] 2 points 3 weeks ago

To sum up, "rational self interest" is screwing others over for your own benefit as long as you make the calculation that it won't come back to bite you. It works for you until you make a miscalculation and the likelihood of a miscalculation increases as you screw more people over. A greedy person benefiting from the support structure will not properly factor in that benefit and will assume they can go without, hence the widening gap between the rich and the poor. They're essentially living in another world and cannot see reality for what it is.