No Change in the Brain

Humans are more egotistical than altruistic. Humans are more inclined to look out for themselves rather than help others in need. “We are all selfish and I no more trust myself than others with a good motive.” (Luke Byron). Meaning that no matter who it is, the author of this quote will not trust them. He doesn’t trust himself, nor strangers with ‘a good motive’ because humans will look to benefit themselves instead of the good motive. Humans help others when they think it will benefit themselves in the long run, just like the way animals do. Animals look out for themselves and their kin so that their bloodline can survive. It is just how our brains are wired, we look out for our own needs before others, unless helping another would somehow benefit ourselves. “Humans cooperate to gain some advantage, such as a boost in reputation.” (Are People Naturally Inclined to Cooperate or Be Selfish?). This indicates that humans can be altruistic but in an egotistical way.

If you look at this argument from a factual and scientific standpoint the majority of studies point to humans being egotistical. Neuroscience points out that humans have more egotistical tendencies than altruistic ones. The reason being that this comes from a survival instinct that humans had developed a long time ago. When humans sense danger their brain kicks into a ‘fight or flight’ response; looking out for what will benefit themselves more in that situation in order to remain safe. “While we lack inborn notions of good and bad, we are predisposed in a fundamental way insofar as we are equipped with survival instincts. It is in this sense that egoism in (‘emotional amoral egoism’) manifests: humans are deeply, genetically hardwired for the survival of the self, which is a basic form of egoism,” (A Neuro-Philosophy of Dignity-Based Governance). Humans can’t help their egoistic ways because of how the brain is constructed. Our brain, like any living species, wants to ensure our safety and survival, therefore it doesn’t think altruistically in the majority of situations. 

Another scientific point of view relating to egoism would be social darwinism. The definition of social darwinism is “the theory that individuals, groups, and peoples are subject to the same Darwinian laws of natural selection as plants and animals… this theory was used in order to justify political conservatism, imperialism, and racism and to discourage intervention and reform.” While this theory is largely discredited now, social darwinism does contribute factual information about the similarities of animals and humans from a biological and mannerism point of view. Social darwinism was only created to ‘justify’ people’s political opinions and make their controversial ideas socially acceptable. Social darwinism is an example of egoism in the world because it allows people to think that they are allowed to say what they want if they think they have a socially acceptable reason to. People created social darwinism to be able to voice their opinions without the backlash of others. 

Throughout the year our class has read a plethora of books and almost if not all of the books have had some type of egotistical behavior whether it was by instinct or tied into social darwinism. In our most recent book, The Road, by Cormac McCarthy there are many examples of egotistical behaviors. One of the earliest examples in the novel that we see is when the little boy spots the older man that was struck by lightning. The father of the boy demonstrates an egoistic mindset and tells the boy that they can’t help the man. “No. We can’t help him. There is nothing to be done for him.” (McCarthy 50). This quote indicates that the father doesn’t feel like the man is able to be helped therefore he doesn’t even try, expressing his egoistic ways. Whereas an altruistic person would have gladly helped the man even if they believed there wasn’t anything that they could do for him. The novel being based in a post-apocalyptic world brings all types of questions to the creative brain. Should it be acceptable to eat other people if there was nothing left? The novel bounces around with the topic of death quite continuously, but one of the ways people died was by being burned and killed alive by other people. Altruistic, right?  “Huddled against the back wall were naked people, male and female all trying to hide, shielding their faces with their hands. On the mattress lay a man with his legs gone to the hip and the stumps of them blackened and burnt. The smell was hideous.” (McCarthy 111). The people left in this world were either barely surviving or half dead. The people in this basement were in very poor health, you can tell by the descriptive language that they have been down there for a while because the ‘smell was hideous’ inferring that the smell would be describing the man’s burnt off legs and the lack of importance for hygiene in this world. This shows the depth of the egotistical behaviors going on in the novel, people consuming other people for their own benefit is a very large way that the novel shows egotistical ideas. 

Another egotistic character in a book that we read was Tom from the Great Gatbsy by F. Scott Fitzgerald. Tom’s egotistical and selfish behavior is well shown throughout the novel, by Fitzgerald’s informative writing. He is a very self centered person who only watches out for his own interests which is demonstrated in the novel by his mistress. He puts his own emotions and needs before Daisy. “The fact that he had one [a mistress] was insisted upon wherever he was known.” (Fitzgerald 24). Tom wanted everyone to know that Myrtle was his mistress, he found it acceptable to be a married man and show off a mistress, which expresses his sense of self entitlement. 

 Like the Great Gatsby, the Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne, many egotistical behaviors are displayed by many characters including the townspeople and how they live. They are a very judgemental group of people who find it appropriate to criticize Hester’s way of life. A character that radiates with egotistical energy is Dimmesdale, Hester’s lover. He, instead of revealing the truth and barring the punishment with Hester, acts clueless in order to protect his reputation and job. “If thou feelest it to be for thy soul’s peace, and that thy earthly punishment will thereby be made more effectual to salvation, I charge thee to speak out the name of thy fellow-sinner and fellow-sufferer! Be not silent from any mistaken pity and tenderness for him; for, believe me, Hester, though he were to step down from a high place, and stand there beside thee, on thy pedestal of shame, yet better were it so, than to hide a guilty heart through life. What can thy silence do for him, except it tempt him…” (Hawthorne 83). Dimmesdale is trying to act like he doesn’t know that he is the father of this child. He is expressing that he wants Hester to reveal who the father is so that he will take his punishment with her. His language somewhat expresses how he feels but he still doesn’t ‘step down from a high place’ onto the ‘pedestal of shame’ in order to feel the ‘guilt’ he is hiding from. Dimmesdale has many opportunities in the beginning of the book to take the punishment along with Hester but instead he summits her to public shame alone. While Dimmesdale is egotistical and selfish, another character in the Scarlet Letter beats him for the most egotistical. Roger Chillingworth may be one of the most egotistical characters that I have ever read about. Chillingworth uses Dimmesdale’s pain and suffering against him. “But with what a wild look of wonder, joy, and horror! With what a ghastly rapture, as it were, too mighty to be expressed only by the eye and features, and therefore bursting through the whole ugliness of his figure, and making itself riotously manifest by the extravagant gestures with which he threw up his arms towards the ceiling, and stamped his foot upon the floor! Had a man seen old Roger Chillingworth, at the moment of his ecstasy, he would have had no need to ask how Satan conports himself when a precious human soul is lost to heaven, and won into his kingdom.” (Hawthorne Chapter 10). Chillingworth has been suspecting that Dimmesdale is the father of Hester’s baby; when he finds a rash that resembles the ‘A’ Hester wears on her bosom on Dimmesdale’s chest he is overjoyed. This allows the reader to think that he is the Devil even more because he is joyful at another person’s pain and furthermore exhibits an egoistic behavior.

So, as presented by specific examples, humans can be taught the difference between right and wrong, and in some ways be altruistic. But ultimately, the way the human brain is wired is meant to be egotistical. The way the brain is constructed is to have better fitness, therefore it is meant to think about the survival of oneself.