[Dexter78]

I tend to agree that there is a selfish component in all human action, but I wonder if it is always to root cause. With charity, people may give $5 or $10, which is likely very little expense to themselves, and in return they get to feel good, and I would say that this is a fairly shallow, selfish act. Similarly I would classify acts by religous people done soley out of fear of eternal punishment or a reward after death. It would be curious to see if, everytime a person gave to charity, they felt awful, but still did it with the intention of helping others. I do not know if there is a way to determine if any action cab be purely altruistic, but I think evidence suggests that certain actions can be a blend of selflessness and selfishness, possibly even primarily motivated by selflessness. There are few instricts stronger than that for self-preservation, yet that are stories of people assisting others they've never met and in some instances dying themselves in an attempt to help someone. I am not saying that there is still not a selfish component, such as the thought of being considered a hero, idolized, etc., but it seems unlikely that these desires would override the desire to live. A way to quantify the influence of such instincts would of course be helpful. We've evolved as a feeling, empathetic species and as such are actions are dictated by both our own desires along with the impact on others. I don't think much more can be said without further defining terms like selfish, selfless, etc.