Red Herring
Superwoman
- Joined
- Jun 9, 2010
- Messages
- 7,510
- MBTI Type
- INTP
- Enneagram
- 5w4
- Instinctual Variant
- sp/sx
Looks like the OP had one too many debates with some followers of Ms Rand and finally snapped. I empathize.
Yes, depending on how you define selfishness, Mother Teresa was as selfish as the next guy, but that doesn't make the oversimplified homo oeconomicus a realistic model. Human motivations and social dynamics are more complicated than that and there are further factors to consider. That model is based on several shaky premises.
Yes, you can influence your chances and yes there are always examples from the most disadvantaged groups that make it, but that doesn't make structural hurdles disappear. There is the macro level and the micro level.
On a tangent note, men on average tend to overestimate and women tend to underestimate not only their skills but the influence they have on their own success. And that can have an impact on their respective carreers.
Also, an internal locus of control is beneficial and tends to lead to more success in life, even when it is unfounded. Those things might help explain some of the differences in perception here.
Yes, depending on how you define selfishness, Mother Teresa was as selfish as the next guy, but that doesn't make the oversimplified homo oeconomicus a realistic model. Human motivations and social dynamics are more complicated than that and there are further factors to consider. That model is based on several shaky premises.
Yes, you can influence your chances and yes there are always examples from the most disadvantaged groups that make it, but that doesn't make structural hurdles disappear. There is the macro level and the micro level.
On a tangent note, men on average tend to overestimate and women tend to underestimate not only their skills but the influence they have on their own success. And that can have an impact on their respective carreers.
Also, an internal locus of control is beneficial and tends to lead to more success in life, even when it is unfounded. Those things might help explain some of the differences in perception here.