Selfishness is commonly understood as selfishness. This quality is truly terrible, since the desire to put oneself above others can lead to sad consequences. The phenomenon when a person thinks only of himself and his interests was covered in many works of Russian classics. But in all of them, selfishness was reduced to the fact that man was rejected by society, and he became lonely and miserable.

1. Recall the novel F.M. Dostoevsky "Crime and Punishment". According to the theory of the protagonist, Rodion Raskolnikov, people are divided into “creatures trembling” and “right having”. Thus, the interests of some are severely infringed, if not suppressed, by those who are sovereign. Blinded by his theory, Raskolnikov decides to prove to himself that he has the right to do whatever he wants. So he kills the old woman-percent, but morally cannot bear the severity of the crime. The selfishness of the hero broke him.
2. We will also turn to the story M. Gorky "The Old Woman Izergil". The name of the hero is very symbolic - Larra, which means “outcast”. Living among the tribe, he remained arrogant and kept his distance from people. The most brutal manifestation of a young man’s selfishness was the murder of a girl who rejected him. For his pride and coldness, he suffered a terrible punishment for man - loneliness. Thus, the author shows what selfishness can entail.
3. The central character of the novel M. Yu Lermontov “Hero of our time” is also an egoist. Grigory Pechorin is a good manipulator. He plays with the feelings of people and their destinies for fun. His actions injure others. So he falls in love with Princess Mary and admits that all his actions were fake, he did not feel anything for her. Pechorin abducts the savage Bela, but having lost interest in her, thereby destroying her. Of course, there is a soul in him, but it, like his character, is corrupted by light.
4. Recall a verse novel "Eugene Onegin" A.S. Pushkin. The critic Belinsky called the protagonist "a suffering egoist." Despite the inner romance and subtlety of the soul, outwardly he is a cold, calculating person who does not know how to empathize and love. His misfortune in life is that the hero is separated from the people. Onegin took the "Russian blues" and indifference to life. Therefore, his egoism is called "suffering", developed by virtue of external circumstances.
5. It is impossible not to mention Mitrofanushka, the hero of the comedy Fonvizina "Undergrowth". The boy grew up selfish and ill-mannered, and his mother was to blame for this. The hero is not interested in studying, he is limited mentally and spiritually. The concepts of honor are alien to Mitrofan, he lives only by his interests and is used to the fact that everything is allowed to him. His image causes the reader to dislike and reject.
6. Heroine A.P. Chekhov "Anna on the neck", Anyuta used to be a simple and modest girl. However, having married a wealthy official, she felt "above all." The heroine’s selfishness made her callous and cruel. The girl became arrogant, forgot about her family, which was starving and needed her help.

Watch the video: Peter Singer: The why and how of effective altruism (November 2024).