This blog post examines the impact of selfish behavior on individuals and society, and why selfishness can sometimes lead to better outcomes.
College students have started the semester. Around this time, students receive various assignments, and group projects are always part of the mix. Group projects cause suffering for many students. This is due to the so-called “free riders” – selfish individuals who act like they’re participating enthusiastically when dividing tasks, but then disappear or make excuses to avoid their responsibilities once the work begins. This phenomenon repeats itself from the start of the semester, ultimately leaving only a few responsible students to shoulder the entire burden. To address this, some adopt methods like individual peer evaluations to assign grades based on contribution, or penalizing non-participants in their grades. While this approach has some effect, free-riding still occurs, inevitably leading to someone taking on everything alone and suffering a loss in life.
Anyone who’s experienced this might wonder, “Do I really have to live my life being good?” And this article argues, “You don’t have to.” In fact, many actions we deem ‘good’ are often performed to meet others’ expectations or due to social pressure. Yet, such actions don’t always yield beneficial results for the individual. Selfish actions can sometimes lead to better outcomes.
Returning to the group project example, what is the best way to eliminate free-riding? The optimal group activity method to eliminate free-riding is to eliminate group activities altogether. In other words, each person should focus on their individual assignments and manage their own grades. In fact, many college students argue that group assignments should be eliminated altogether. The original intent behind introducing group assignments was to achieve better results through cooperation and communication. However, reality often differs. In most cases, group assignments cause conflict, and the discord arising during the task process not only hinders learning effectiveness but can even lower individual achievement.
Of course, it’s not feasible to completely eliminate group activities in every class. However, what this article aims to discuss is that both the aforementioned solution of influencing grades and the argument that only individual assignments should be required imply the belief that humans produce the best results when acting for their own benefit. This stems from our innate survival instinct; our actions fundamentally serve the purpose of our own survival and prosperity. Therefore, rather than condemning selfish behavior, it needs to be understood as part of a survival strategy.
The phrase “acting solely for one’s own benefit,” mentioned earlier, can also be interpreted as ‘selfish.’ The term ‘selfish’ is never used in a positive sense in our society. Perhaps most of the actions we deem wrong—stealing from others, littering on the street (because it’s too much trouble to find a trash can), free-riding on group assignments, etc.—can be labeled ‘selfish’ behavior. So, if we view what is wrong as selfish, is there a reason we shouldn’t live selfishly? Selfish actions clearly bring immediate satisfaction, and as long as others don’t catch you, the benefits can continue indefinitely. In fact, unless excessive behavior actually harms me (like breaking the law and getting arrested) or causes me mental damage (like guilt), we need to live somewhat selfishly.
Selfishness isn’t solely a negative term. It can also signify appropriate self-preservation and efficiency. For instance, prioritizing one’s own needs and goals is essential for growth and development. If we list reasons why we should live selfishly, the primary one is that it yields benefits.
Consider the free-riding mentioned in the first paragraph: from an individual’s perspective, one can receive group activity points without contributing, and use the remaining time to complete personal assignments, ultimately achieving better grades. The same applies to another commonly cited selfish act: cutting in line. Imagine a long queue forming at a door during rush hour. If someone slips unnoticed to the front of the line during a chaotic moment of people coming and going, they can board the subway comfortably. They might even enjoy the luxury of sitting down for the ride. These small gains accumulate and can bring significant long-term benefits to the individual. While socially condemnable, from a personal standpoint, it can be a realistic and practical choice.
The advantages mentioned in the previous paragraph are closer to short-term, immediate gains. Some argue that living altruistically is better because selfish actions can ultimately harm the community and lead to exclusion within the group. However, the scope of modern society is vast, as evidenced by the term “globalization.” As the size of the group an individual belongs to increases, the extent to which an individual’s reputation or actions affect the group diminishes. Simply put, as long as an individual’s actions remain somewhat within bounds, people tend not to pay much attention, and such actions rarely cause significant harm to society. Furthermore, in a globalized society, the impact of an individual’s minor selfish actions on the overall order can be negligible. For example, even if one person in a large corporation acts for their own benefit, it is unlikely to significantly affect the organization’s overall operations.
Moreover, altruistic actions alone do not necessarily foster solidarity. Consider a scenario where one student possesses a study guide for a difficult exam and shares it only with friends who have other guides, enabling them all to achieve high scores. While this might seem altruistic from one perspective, viewed within the entire class context, this group is closer to a selfish collective. Yet, even among such self-interested individuals, we can observe that with a little strategy, they form a cohesive group and secure substantial benefits within the larger collective.
Furthermore, from an economic perspective, many views on humanity operate under the assumption that “people are self-interested.” A prime example is the comparison between capitalism and communism. Consider South Korea and North Korea. South Korea is currently a capitalist nation, while North Korea is a communist state. Comparing the economies of capitalist South Korea, which recognizes private property and allows free competition for personal gain, and communist North Korea, which does not recognize private property, prohibits working for personal profit, and distributes everything according to need, which side is more developed? As of 2023, South Korea’s GDP per capita is $34,653, while North Korea’s is $1,050 (estimated), meaning South Korea’s is about 30 times higher than North Korea’s. Thus, within the capitalist system, individual self-interest acts as a crucial driving force for economic development. This goes beyond mere personal greed; it becomes a vital factor directly linked to the prosperity of the entire society.
In other words, engaging in economic activity for one’s own benefit yields advantages both personally and collectively. This can be confirmed by comparing the global ratio of countries that have adopted capitalism versus those that have adopted communism. Currently, among the numerous nations worldwide, only four remain communist states. This historical fact suggests that economic systems grounded in human nature are more successful. Since pursuing private interests enriches individual lives and further contributes to the development of society as a whole, self-interest can act as a driving force for social progress.
Even from an evolutionary perspective, which posits that those with traits suited to survival adapt and survive (are selected), acting in one’s own interest is more suitable for navigating the world. In conclusion, this article argues that as long as humans maintain a certain level of decency and exercise reasonable tact, they need not force themselves to live altruistically but can instead live strategically selfish lives. Selfish behavior does not merely stop at maximizing individual gain; in a broader sense, it can enhance community efficiency and contribute to more effective distribution of social resources.
In fact, all animals, including humans, possess the right to live for their own survival and are born with instincts for that purpose. However, the concept of ‘altruism’ in humans involves many elements that suppress these instincts, and this does not need to be adhered to absolutely. Of course, this does not mean selfish behavior is unconditionally right. However, we must recognize that when we occasionally prioritize our own needs and interests, it is a natural behavior, and through this, we can achieve greater accomplishments. Therefore, we need to allow ourselves a certain degree of selfishness.
