Human Self-interest is Defined by Our Mutual Aid for Others

This morning the second overarching question essay was due in my Philosophy of Human Nature course. This question was asking what defines self-interest for humans. The title of this post is essentially my final statement on this question, but as you’ll see in the essay there is another side of the argument as well. Our self-interest could be merely whatever suits our independent needs, but I side with those who articulate that self-interest is tied deeply into our existence as social beings, and thus what is in our self-interest is the mutual aid we lend our neighbors. Please feel free to comment on this essay here on my blog, and I hope it may stimulate your own thoughts on this question.