Is a selfish action that helps others worthy of praise?

manpreet Best Answer 2 years ago

TL:DR

Is a selfish man who only does stuff for his own benefit, worthy of praise if his actions just so happen to help others? (And am I wrong in assuming someone always attempts to gain something?).

Background:

I don't have any real knowledge of philosophy so sorry if im not using terms correctly here.

Recently I saw an interview with a guy arguing against religious institutions helping others as being worthy of praise if they're basis for doing so is not merely a concern for their wellbeing.

He argued that if religious people help others merely to secure a place in heaven, this is selfish and therefore not worthy of praise. Implying that really selflessness is what matters when determining if an action is nobel.

So say someone who is not religious, and cares greatly about his wealth, walks by a homeless man, he sees him struggling and thus gives him a significant amount of money. This clearly hurts the man financially, and he really sacrifices something for this man.

But like the religious guy attempting to secure a place in heaven, this guy is really just making an investment, because ultimately the happiness and satisfaction he gained from helping this man, surely must outweigh what he lost from giving his money. (Else he wouldn't have done it)

Thus it seems to me this argument must be flawed since no one would be worthy of praise.

So my question: Is a selfish man who only does stuff for his own benefit, worthy of praise if his actions just so happen to help others? (And am I wrong in assuming someone always attempts to gain something?).

manpreet 2 years ago