Selfishness is nature | Roy Erkens | TEDxYouth@Maastricht

The topics of competition and selfishness and its relationship with the way in which society is structured are explored by Roy Erkens. He explores human nature through a different lense and describes the instinct behind good deeds, “by being nice I build up a reputation and when I’m in need people who have no relationship with me will still help me because they know I am a good guy.” The analysis of everyday situations through a new lense gives an understanding of human nature and its tendency towards ‘selfishness’.
Roy Erkens is a professor at the University of Maastricht where he teaches evolutionary biology and plant biology. His main research has been the investigation of patterns in plant biodiversity within the Neurotrophics and Europe.
This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at www.ted.com/tedx

[@wiltonpt1]

When he said that the reason to help others is that ultimately you are helping yourself...I could immediately believe that selfishness in human nature is worse than I predicted and only an evolutionary biologist could come up with such a rationale.

[@likhanimithi962]

That is your perspective. Connecting everything to selfishness

[@ilhammahmoud9453]

such a good information ♥️👍

[@francismausley7239]

The angelic nature in man must dominate the animal nature. "If man be imbued with all good qualities but be selfish, all the other virtues will fade or pass away and eventually he will grow worse." ~ Baha'i Faith

[@ddmmrr103]

Francis Mausley Darwin should make them fade away anyway

[@xxxdieselyyy2]

@@ddmmrr103 social Darwinism was funded by British EEC (East India company) to add justification to colonization under thr philosopher Hobbes. U need to see Rosseau on human nature. He wasn't sponsored by anyone. Social Darwinism was needed by European elites to justify colonization cos as news was getting out as to Western colonial practices in Asia and Africa, European common men empathize more with Asian and African folks getting colonized cos they felt elites were enslaving them to factories back home too. So social darwinism was innovated to justify austraaliapithacus behavior in homosapiens era. Austraaliapithacus is innately selfish. Not homosapien. Civilization is a cooperative enterprise. Nobody gains anyrhing from it, we all lose some individual wild nature as we civilize yet we do it out of common empathy.

[@Cecilia-ky3uw]

@@xxxdieselyyy2 hes not a social darwinist

[@jonashammar8907]

This world reward egoists and punish the nice ones.

[@Mpanagiotopoulos]

@Why? Sometimes overgenerous people care so much about the others that they forget to take care of themselves,which ultimately kinda...harms them.

[@sadi5430]

@@Mpanagiotopoulos you are both right

[@Cecilia-ky3uw]

but heres the thing the only thing that matters to me is myself at a fundamental level

[@Cecilia-ky3uw]

so surely every action we do is selfish

[@Cecilia-ky3uw]

therefore selfishness isnt bad it is perfectly fine to be selfish no one can be immoral for being selfish because that means the saints we have are all immoral

[@yesno6421]

i was just thinking about this

[@weslieramos8232]

Very Special Topic ! Watch the whole video fam... free perspective education

[@clintcalvert9250]

I agree with all of this. I was hoping you would go into how it’s impossible to do an act,or have a thought that isn’t 100%self serving? Anyone understand.

[@nvmffs]

I 100% disagree. No personal offense but this talk and this argument is made for people who want to sleep better at night about their egotistical nature. Most of what we do can be altruistic if we're empathetic enough and have a pure heart.

[@clintcalvert9250]

You responding that way is for self only

[@nvmffs]

@@clintcalvert9250 What do you mean it's for self only? It's for people who might feel bad after reading your original comment. They would wrongly be disappointed in humanity

[@clintcalvert9250]

Every act,thought,etc.from a human being is to benefit itself

[@nvmffs]

@@clintcalvert9250 How does a person who litters benefit themselves?

[@thegooddater2011]

This is very deep. It makes me feel better about being greedy 😁

[@DANCEGARAGEPUNK]

You shouldn`t - Greed is very unpleasant ! : (

[@mesta4314]

Maybe, maybe not. It’s not written in stone. I know myself and I do things without reciprocity or reputation. I do it because deep, it’s a healing and it feels good.

[@BoyetAguado]

That means you only do those things just to feel good about yourself and not really because you love the person you are helping. That's called narcissistic egoism. You think you're a god when you help people.

[@SIRI-ji9kq]

I didn't understand how caring family is selfish

[@BoyetAguado]

That's your family. You love your family because they also love you. Would you love a stranger? No. Why? Because they don't love you back.

[@truth4760]

Everyliving thing had to care for his self, if U dont care of your self no one care U

[@hotstixx]

Its impossible for certain types to take a feeling as simply authentic - If i find bullying utterly intollerable and see it happening to someone else,i dont intervene for selfish reasons.If my friends and i rush out to try to save whales that have been beached,it is not for selfish reasons.Similarly,if i see some homeless person with mental health issues or simply starving,i reach into my pocket because i can SEE suffering and wish to alleviate it..it is not because i want to enhance my reputation. It seems the Prof might have imported some evolutionary psychology into his thinking - Ev Psyche is riddled with just so stories which can only get by on their own internal logic.

[@l0lliezoe3x]

He missed out it's because people want to feel good about themselves and endorphins are released when we do. We also think it'll bring us good karma - self serving.

[@hotstixx]

@@l0lliezoe3x No,foremostly,it is finding the suffering of others intolerable...empathy ! That which conservatives sadly suffer a lack of...certainly its their reputation.

[@BoyetAguado]

Get out of here with that narcissistic nonsense! I don't believe anything you said especially the bullying part because bullies will destroy you if you do that. You do realize that real-life bullying is all of society bullying those who are different? Right? 😂 Your answer is pure egoism. Humans only help those who are family, friends, or relatable. If humans help those who are not family, friends, or relatable, it's because humans just want to feel good about themselves. You only help animals that are cute. Dream on, kid. The fact that you think of yourself as some perfect angelic deity speaks about the level of your egoism - self-serving = self-validating. 😂

[@humanity3332]

You enjoying your life, Thinking about yourself everyday.. Suddenly another country ( which is also thinking of its own good) destroy your house and neighbour. Now you're dead and your children are starving on road. Because you always cared about yourself and never tried to change the society to think about everyone's welfare. Your future generations are suffering. This is harsh truth, but its important to reform the society. Imagine everyone thinking of eachother, there would be no war, discrimination,class system etc. This world will be amazing and peaceful.

[@gloriasmith1134]

It'll never happen if it hasn't happened already, our system won't ever allow it

[@humanity3332]

@@gloriasmith1134 You know The world used to be worst than It's today. But few people questioned old beliefs at the same time modernity come into existence. But that same modernity which was developing humanity now turned into individualism and taking it to its destruction. Its completely okh If you think thats not going to happen. But I try my best to make it possible.

[@DANCEGARAGEPUNK]

@@gloriasmith1134 We are taught selfishness, It`s a choice not to be ! : )

[@alifakhrzadeh1544]

Unfortunately we’re so overpopulated even if we want to produce and I actually don’t like kids

[@Eric-oj1cl]

In the bible, God said love your neighbor as yourself, love your enemy, not "be decent with other people", but giving to the needy without expecting returns. The truest form of altruism is how Christ sacrificed Himself for the people.

[@salvadormena1200]

😂

[@RichardCranium.]

Sounds like advice a man would give his worst enemy.

[@Cecilia-ky3uw]

altruism= selfishness

[@DANCEGARAGEPUNK]

@@RichardCranium. Exactly ! That`s what he`s saying - THE ONLY ENEMY IS YOUR OWN SELFISHNESS ! LOL : )

[@RichardCranium.]

@@DANCEGARAGEPUNK I think the only reason many Christians are anticommunist is because communism is an atheistic ideology. A society where all the slackers are given productive peoples stuff sounds like what Jesus would want