>> >how would you define 'self-interest'?
>>
>> Concerned with one's own agenda, as in the phrase "Everyone always
>> acts in their own self-interest but few admit it."
>
>but you agree with me that the origin of "one's own agenda" lies
>outside the self, no?
I think it is quite complicated to track down the "origin" of one's
interests. At any given time your agenda is a function of your agenda
at the previous moment influenced by the current environment. You
can trace the evolution of your self-interest all the way back to
when your neurons were first differentiating in the womb, but I don't
see a point where one's agenda comes completely from outside the self.
-- David McFadzean dbm@merak.com Memetic Engineer http://www.merak.com/~dbm/ Merak Projects Ltd.