Selfish At What Cost?

Response to Justine: - full post here

Selfishness, actually, is better defined as wanting what is best for only yourself and always at the expense of someone else. Self-interest, however, is the interest in your own desires and benefits at no overall cost to others.

In the lifeboat scenario, it would be selfish only to take the food without any consideration of the other person. If I have no concern for the other person I am selfish. However, if I do have interest in that person, but choose to eat the food because they want me to and because they won't it's only self interest.

Watching a baby drown is selfish only if saving the child comes to no or minimal expense to you. If you are very well able to save the child, it would be selfish. It would be self-interested if saving the child comes at considerable risk to you. As to whether or not the person watching should go to prison, I think so, if they had the ability to help and little or no expense to them and chose not to.