| The problem with an article like this is that the authors want to make a broad stroke claim against an argument which is far more nuanced than they claim. And this works both ways; just like taxation and subsidies aren't cures for the things they support with tax revenue or subsidies. The truth is that people do act selfishly; we just don't understand the "why", a great example is people lining up for the latest gadget, many people question this as crazy but step into the shoes of the people in the line and they have made a very specific decision that at and during that moment they are better off doing what they are doing than doing anything else. To the onlooker who thinks the people are crazy, this is completely irrational, but to the person in the line, they are making a very rational decision based on what they want. People will always do things that are in their best interests, and that doesn't mean people wont donate to charity, or help out the community or exhibit 'selfless' traits, its important to understand that these traits are an important part of who the person is, and they can be selfish, in undertaking selfless acts because it furthers their goals which may not be entirely money driven. The trillion dollar question is why do people make the decisions that they do; entire industries and careers are dedicated to trying to find this out. A CEO destroying his company is more more evidence of a certain philosophy being wholly wrong, than North Korea is an example that all forms of government are horrible and will eventually lead to a North Korean existence for it's citizens. |