The Nonlocal Quantum Hologram

I’ll readily admit I’m an egoist. I’ll then immediately draw your attention to the fact that I am not an egotist. They are not the same thing.

Even the idea that you are a selfless person and act for the interest of others before yourself is a lie told in order to comfort one’s self (or ego), and is, at its core, an ego-centric act. All actions are egocentric, and egoism is the only philosophy that begins to describe, ethically, the everyday decisions that our minds undergo subconsciously and naturally. Survival is the only moral imperative, and we are evolved to prefer survival of self over survival of other. Thus our actions are first and foremost egocentric, and any thought process to the contrary is something that overlays and comes AFTER the egocentric decisions we have already made (and cannot change).

Volunteer to feed the homeless even though it takes up precious weekend hours? You aren’t being selfless – a community that cares for its most disadvantaged members is a stronger community, and a strong community provides better chances to not only survive, but thrive, for all its constituents. Go out of your way to do something to make your partner happy? A happier partner makes for a happier relationship, makes for increased personal comfort. Sure, it feels like you are compromising in the name of selflessness, but in truth you are choosing a path that you believe leads to greater personal happiness, and this decision making process may have happened in the undercurrents of your subconscious mind, without you consciously choosing anything. 

In fact, it’s very likely that ALL your actions are already decided without your being aware and experienced in retrospect, but this is a topic for a different post. 

Deciding that it was probably a good idea to be better read on the topic that I am so badly declaring a strong opinion on, I googled “books on egoism.” I was a bit shocked to see the top results (most likely influenced by my location deep in Mormon territory, among other factors):

… We sure really do want to really hate ourselves…

I was even more shocked to find a great deal of editorializing by, of all publications, Britannica Encyclopedia:

“Unfortunately for ethical egoism, the claim that everyone will be better off if each person does what is in his or her own interests is incorrect. This is shown by thought experiments known as ‘prisoners’ dilemmas,’ which played an increasingly important role in discussions of ethical theory in the late 20th century (see also game theory). The basic prisoners’ dilemma is an imaginary situation in which two prisoners are accused of a crime. If one confesses and the other does not, the prisoner who confesses will be released immediately and the prisoner who does not will be jailed for 20 years. If neither confesses, each will be held for a few months and then released. And if both confess, each will be jailed for 15 years. It is further stipulated that the prisoners cannot communicate with each other. If each of them decides what to do purely on the basis of self-interest, each will realize that it is better for him or her to confess than not to confess, no matter what the other prisoner does. Paradoxically, when each prisoner acts selfishly—i.e., as an ethical egoist—the result is that both are worse off than they would have been if each had acted cooperatively.”

–Britannica

… Is incorrect?! And such a conclusion supported by some absurdly contrived, unrealistic “thought” experiment… And such an opinion being touted by an “encyclopedia”?!

More on this (as I edit this post more) on this topic later. But a preview: altruism is compatible with egoism. At least in my sophomoric world view. Doing what’s best for the individual is doing what is best for the community, and what is best for the community is often (and must be,) what is also best for the individual, as a strong supportive community means a higher chance of personal success. And I think this is understood by at least moderately mature subconsciousnesses.