All Human Acts are Selfish

Dear lannan13, Hello, and thank you for responding to my argument. I will now present a rebuttal for each of your main points. Contention 1: Examples 1. Being Shot - Being shot, in a large percentage of scenarios, is in no way selfish. Yes, 'being shot' is a pretty general term, though in most situations, one does not take a bullet to save another's life. One could take a bullet for the president (R. I. P James Brady), but this is unlikely. In almost every situation, being shot is not 'selfish', or, as your definition states, 'to satisfy one's personal needs or feelings'. As I stated before, you must prove that ALL human acts are selfish, while I must prove that NOT ALL human actions are selfish. As the term 'all' requires 'every', I need to prove that only one human action is unselfish in order to win the debate. Apparently, my first example is not specific enough. To 'make up' for that, here is a realistic situation: the death of Abraham Lincoln (. http://en.wikipedia.org...). In April 1865, Abe Lincoln was watching a play when John Wilkes Booth sneaked up behind him and shot him, resulting in his death. Abraham Lincoln did not know he was going to be shot, so he couldn't have took a bullet for another's life. Furthermore, Lincoln was not shot in order to satisfy his needs or feelings. He did not need to be shot, nor did he feel like he wanted to. Lincoln would have obviously preferred to stay alive. There are countless examples similar to the one mentioned, though I do not feel the need to mention these, as, well, your argument is, for a lack of better words, not that intelligent (I do not mean to offend you whatsoever). Once more, I need to prove only one human act as unselfish in order to win the debate. The following link shows a video of a man being shot - none of his needs or feelings were satisfied: . http://www.dailymail.co.uk... 2. Tripping on a Rock - Tripping is in no way whatsoever instinctive. When you trip on a rock, you fall because of a lack of balance and the force of gravity. You do not fall to satisfy a personal need or feeling. I don't understand how tripping could save your ankle from being broken. Personally, when I trip on a rock, I do not mean to fall. I fall by accident. I do not wish to fall, nor does tripping satisfy any of my personal needs or feelings. 3. Getting Punched - Yes, you could get punched to save another from being punched. You could also get punched from behind, without knowledge of your attacker. This is much more likely, and does not satisfy any personal need or feeling. Contention 2: Humans are Like Animals Your evidence is irrelevant. I need to only prove one human act unselfish in order to win the debate. However, I will proceed to create more rebuttals: You state that Sigmund Freud said that humans only donate to charity in order to 'save the genes of the human race and want it to continue'. Giving may result in feeling good, but this is not the only reason that humans give. As seen in a study conducted by Claremont Graduate University"s Center for Neuroeconomic Studies (. http://www.mensafoundation.org...), humans donate to see others be happy, and because it is the 'right thing to do'. Once more, donating to charity may result in feeling good, though this is not the sole reason that people give. You next quote Freud on an irrelevant topic. We are debating whether all human acts are, by your definition, 'selfish', not whether humans are 'good' in general. You next talk about Hobbes. However, the source you use nowhere mentions 'raping' or pillaging'. My opponent is making false assertions off of sources that do not pertain to the content of his arguments.