My argument isn’t so much against that idea, much less its objectives. My argument is that it’s not possible, and the consequences of believing it is have the effect of moving us farther from, not closer to, those objectives.The way Jesus wanted people to act towards each other seems counter to the very human nature you think is unchangeable, though.
There are a lot of verses in this link, for example, that you seem to be arguing are exhorting people to act against human nature:
Bible Verses about Selfishness and Self-Love
What does the Bible say about Selfishness? Scripture offers profound wisdom on the topic of selfishness. We are warned of the temptation and perils of being selfish rather than generous and helpful to our family and neighbors.www.biblestudytools.com
I think the teaching of these verses to people for thousands of years as the gospel has inculcated people to believe they should act unselfishly more than before they were taught. I think the notion has so permeated society (nearly all of them, now, even the non-Christian ones) that it really has changed how people think and act. Note I'm focused on actions, not urges or instincts. And I think that if we changed, and had a society teaching for thousands of years that one should only act selfishly, then far less actions that we now consider unselfish would occur.
Christ implored his followers to be charitable, because I believe he understood that man’s nature is bent towards his own best interests.
Like Christ, we should implore people to make selfless acts of will. We should not design a society or public policy around the idea that they’re going to do this in the manner, or to the magnitude, or with the consistency, that they would need to in order for such a societal vision to bear the fruit its designers seek.
People do make selfless acts - all the time. But it’s foolish to think we can manipulate human nature the way you’re suggesting.
If you want a charitable and compassionate society, build a prosperous one. And the way to build a prosperous one is by harnessing the core human spirit and drive…mostly by getting out of its way and ensuring that the incentive structures for building wealth through successful enterprises are sound.
Quit worrying about inequality. Our Gini may be roughly equal to Ghana’s. But there’s a helluva lot more to those two stories than can be gleaned by that metric.
