The Virtue of Selfishness

I am a selfish pig. I only think about myself. I want to do things that I like. Am I insane?

I am an atheist. I believe this life is it. We get only so much time, for whatever miraculous reason, and then it’s over. Why don’t I spend more time extending my life? The truest of selfish pigs would work on nothing but making his life longer, as time is the only commodity that really matters.

I am a pig because I want to have fun right now, even though it may reduce the only true commodity. The matter of quality vs. quantity applies. A pump that runs for 10 minutes and pushes water through a one inch tube will pump less water than one that pumps for 5 minutes with a 2” tube. Surprisingly, it will be more than double. It has something to do with pi and squared radius’s and shit, but it’s true. Quality is greater than Quantity.

I think Quality is defined as “Liking Something” (See: ‘Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance’ for a much more detailed discussion of “quality”).

A Quality Life, according to Aristotle, is happiness. This is the objective of life. Religion teaches us how to die. Reason teaches us how to live. Take your favorite.



Friday June 9, 2006 - 06:30pm (MDT)