The philosophy of enlightened self-interest.

- A thread

One of my favorite post-graduate classes was a philosophy course taught by Dr. Betty Winfield.

It started with the greeks (Socrates, Plato), moved to Europe (Descartes, Mill), and finally settled in America (Dewey, Thoreau) but my favorite concept was enlightened self-interest.

The philosophy of enlightened self-interest states that persons who act to further the interests of the group or society ultimately serve their own self-interest.

If someone works for the group, it eventually benefits that person.

The Greeks have a similar concept.

"A society grows great when old men plant trees whose shade they know they shall never sit in."

That's enlightened self-interest in a nutshell. You may not sit under the shade but your children will.

If you help the child of a poor person get a good education, the streets will be safer and you're less likely to get mugged.

That's enlightened self-interest.

I wish someone could take some time to explain this concept to callous, corrupt politicians across the world.

When you provide good roads/education/healthcare/security, your job becomes easier, you become more popular, and your children will inherit a good country.

Looking out for others provides benefits for you.

Therefore, the best way to look out for yourself is to look out for others.

That's enlightened self-interest.