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Selfishness denotes the precedence given in thought or deed to the self, i.e., self interest or self concern. It is the act of placing one's own needs or desires above the needs or desires of others.

Psychologist and primatologist Frans de Waal takes issue with those who equate "selfishness" with "self-serving." He argues that "Selfishness implies the intention to serve oneself, hence knowledge of what one stands to gain from a particular behavior".^[1] (2009, 13).

Selfishness is the opposite of altruism (selflessness).

The implications of selfishness have inspired divergent views within religious, philosophical, psychological, economic and evolutionary contexts.

References

1. ^ de Waal, Frans (2009). Primates and Philosophers: How Morality Evolved. Princeton University Press. pp. 13. ISBN 978-0-691-14129-9. http://press.princeton.edu/titles/8240.html. 

See also

• Egoism
• Egotism
• Enlightened self-interest
• Ethic of reciprocity (the "Golden Rule")
• Generosity
• Indirect self-interest
• Little Miss Selfish
• Narcissism
• Objectivism
• Solipsism
• A Theory of Justice (by John Rawls)

Further reading

• Twilight of the Idols, Friedrich Nietzsche Penguin Classics; Reissue edition (February 15, 1990), ISBN 0140445145
• The Evolution of Cooperation, Robert Axelrod, Basic Books, ISBN 0-465-02121-2
• The Selfish Gene, Richard Dawkins (1990), second edition—includes two chapters about the evolution of cooperation, ISBN 0-19-286092-5
• The Virtue of Selfishness, Ayn Rand, ISBN 0451163931