Comments by "Pob" (@goodlookinouthomie1757) on "Utility, Pleasure \u0026 Virtue" video.

  1. Interestingly I remember reading The Selfish Gene by Dawkins in which he asserted that there is no genuine altruism at all in nature. Everything apparently selfless we do has some benefit to us, even if it is helping your friend simply because they need help... if doing so makes us feel good then this is advantageous to our mental health. And it goes without saying that subconscious rationale predicts your friend may well reciprocate the favour if you ever you need it. It can be considered a selective pressure. People who behaved in this way would obviously be valued in their social groups and therefore would thrive.
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  2. The selfish gene in a nutshell.
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  3.  @o00nemesis00o  You're thinking too narrowly. Those people died believing rightly or wrongly that they were protecting their families, their people, their nations (which until just yesterday meant their ethnic group). So in fact they were absolutely concerned with continuing their line of genes or those closely related to it. We look on their sacrifice as noble and commendable because we also are ancestrally aware that it is a necessary thing to do.
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  4. It illustrates the transactional nature of any relationship. You can feel that you're friends with someone, and yet the possibility exists that you may let them down or betray them. At the end of the day your fidelity to a friendship is largely based in the cost you would accrue (social/familial/emotional) by acting in your own self interest. And the weight of these costs are dependent on the personality of the individual.
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  5. ​ @o00nemesis00o  The sum of your reply is that everything I said was correct, but you don't like it. We are violently in agreement in that sentiment. We can argue similar things about free will... on which the path of scientific enquiry always leads you to the same conclusion, a conclusion that I don't like any more than you do but which to deny is a folly in itself.
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  6. ​ @thetruth45678  Mutual benefit is exactly what it means. Fairness is a subjective term.
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  7.  @thetruth45678  There was a part of the discussion in which Carl described helping a friend when it is of no benefit to yourself. This is specifically what I was referring to. Altruism does benefit not only the other, but yourself as well. If you are of the disposition to show such behaviour then you will likely thrive in your social group, even if this is not your conscious intention. A minority of individuals will take advantage, but the group as a whole will recognise your value. I agree at the extreme of sacrificing your life then yes, it is of no value to you the individual, but in evolutionary terms it may still be beneficial to the continuation of your genes, which after all is the basis for all our behaviour. As for your last point - there is certainly scope to view humanity in those terms. My species as a whole has little regard for my individual interest. Bit depressing though so it's not something I prefer to dwell on :)
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  8. @@troyhailey Genes don't express beliefs so much, but they certainly express behaviours.
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  9. @@troyhailey How does a swallow know which way to migrate? Is it because God came to it in a dream with a map? The behavioural drive to reproduce, to migrate, or to flee from a predator is as much a part of genetics and evolution as having a long neck or two testicles.
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  10. That must have been one hell of a body.
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