Selfishness Analysis

evaluating options, one expressly chooses not to weigh into the potential consequences for oneself. Lengbeyer clarifies the meaning of deliberate selfless through the following example:

“Out of concern or affection for a neighbor who works as a financial advisor, one allows him to manage one 's investment portfolio (not the course of action that pure self-interest would dictate). Or, better yet, take the strict Utilitarian. In deciding upon a course of action, [the manager] accounts for her own interests as much as, and no more than, those of every other foreseeably affected person. She might even be the one person whose utility will be most affected by her choice - yet others ' combined interests might lead her to choose a course that

As outsiders, we cannot determine whether an action is selfish or not because the true characteristic of the action depends on the mindset of the performer of the action. Distinguishing selfless and selfish people from one another is complicated, and although people are often subject to prejudice, they can never really know the truth. Overall, people best not judge and label others, for doing so causes conflict. According to George Morgan, Jr., selfishness and unselfishness in general should not be seen as moral or unmoral, for that kind of perspective leads people to become uncooperative and “men to overlook possibilities for sharing common goods” (406). In the end of “Rashomon,” the woodcutter and commoner accuse one another of their selfish actions—the woodcutter of the commoner for stealing the baby’s blankets and the commoner of the woodcutter for stealing the dagger. This engagement creates separation between the two, and after the interaction, the woodcutter feels ashamed and the entire atmosphere becomes uncomfortable. Overall, blaming others for and judging others on their selfish actions should be avoided not only because doing so creates conflict, but also because people are ambiguous. Human actions can be unclear and misleading, making selfish and selflessness not as easily distinguishable as they seem to be by their definitions. In “In the Bamboo Grove” and “Rashomon”, the ambiguity of the characters’ backgrounds reflect reality in that people can never comprehend any story fully and therefore should not judge others based on initial