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phenomenological mistake behind egotism as an all-encompassing theory of motivation

It supposes that all actions are at some basic level the result of instrumental reasoning, i.e., wherein someone who desires pleasure x calculates that by doing y he may obtain x, and hence decides to act.

Pleasure IN cooperation is a great counter-example to egotism as calculus.  And it is a better counterexample than examples of pure altruism.  It is neither egoistic nor altruistic.  It's not, "You scratch my back and I'll scratch yours," but it is capable of giving rise to such reciprocity.  It is not "I will act for your sake without seeking benefit," but is capable of explaining how actions that benefit the other while leading to self-harm can seem desirable to animals.

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