Many people consider selfishness to be one of the world's biggest problems. I do not believe that selfishness per se is necessarily a problem. I believe that unwise selfishness which leads to the lack of consideration for others is the problem. (Lack of consideration for others is often linked to selfishness, but it doesn't have to be.) Wisdom is a determining factor because, while all people seek their own happiness in one way or another, the wise have a better understanding of what truly leads to happiness than the unwise do. People who have gained wisdom understand that cooperation for the sake of mutual benefit (working together for the happiness of all) is a better and more effective way to achieve happiness than either exploitation (using others as tools to achieve our own happiness) or altruism (sacrificing our own happiness for the sake of others).
"Act in such a way that you treat humanity, whether in your own person or in the person
of any other, never merely as a means to an end, but always at the same time as an end."
Immanuel Kant (Second Formulation of his Categorical Imperative)
2. Bigotry and stereotypical thinking
Bigotry is hatred and/or a specific lack of consideration for others who are different from us in some way. Many people use racial, ethnic, gender, religious and other differences as justification for their lack of consideration for the rights of others.
Stereotypical thinking uses the assumption that all people belonging to a particular group have the same characteristics. Even when many people from a given group share certain characteristics, this type of thinking generally leads to incorrect conclusions about individuals. The only way to judge someone fairly and accurately is to judge them as an individual rather than as a member of any group.
Logically, stereotypical thinking may either be the result of sloppy inductive reasoning
(substituting "All M are P" propositions for "Some M are P" propositions),
or invalid deductive reasoning (the undistributed middle fallacy).
By this I mean anti-intellectualism, and dogmatic belief systems that discourage people from thinking for themselves, and encourage people to blindly accept their teachings instead of examining them to determine if they're actually true. One should always be suspicious of belief systems that condemn reason and free thinking, and insist that their basic tenets must be accepted "by faith".
Is your child a Far Left Extremist?
Look for these warning signs:
1. Expresses sympathy for poor and working people.
2. Expresses concern over the treatment of marginalized groups.
3. Expresses concerns with fascism and the current political climate.
4. Accepting of all sexualities, religions, genders, races, etc.
5. Wishes for a world where all people are treated equally.
6. Takes an interest in history and philosophy.
7. Talks about solving various injustices in society.
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