How to recognize if you're self-interested (and whether that's actually harmful) - Mark Hopwood episode artwork

EPISODE · Jun 10, 2026 · 7 MIN

How to recognize if you're self-interested (and whether that's actually harmful) - Mark Hopwood

from TED-Ed · host TED-Ed

Explore a classic philosophical debate and decide: is it human nature to be selfish? And if so, is it possible to overcome it?--The question of whether or not humans are inherently selfish is one of philosophy’s oldest debates. The idea that we only act out of self-interest is an extreme stance that few philosophers would endorse. However, the idea that all humans have a deep selfish streak is something many philosophers would agree with. So, are we innately selfish? Mark Hopwood explores this classic conundrum.Lesson by Mark Hopwood, directed by Avi Ofer.Grab a copy of Chris Anderson’s book “Infectious Generosity” here: https://bit.ly/TEDEdInfectiousGenerositySupport Our Non-Profit Mission----------------------------------------------Support us on Patreon: http://bit.ly/TEDEdPatreonCheck out our merch: http://bit.ly/TEDEDShop----------------------------------------------Connect With Us----------------------------------------------Sign up for our newsletter: http://bit.ly/TEDEdNewsletterFollow us on Facebook: http://bit.ly/TEDEdFacebookFind us on Twitter: http://bit.ly/TEDEdTwitterPeep us on Instagram: http://bit.ly/TEDEdInstagram----------------------------------------------Keep Learning----------------------------------------------View full lesson: https://ed.ted.com/lessons/how-to-know-if-you-re-being-selfish-and-whether-or-not-that-s-bad-mark-hopwoodDig deeper with additional resources: https://ed.ted.com/lessons/how-to-know-if-you-re-being-selfish-and-whether-or-not-that-s-bad-mark-hopwood/digdeeperAnimator's website: https://aviofer.comEducator's website: https://new.sewanee.edu/programs-of-study/philosophy/faculty-staff/mark-hopwoodMusic: https://www.wonderboyaudio.com----------------------------------------------Thank you so much to our patrons for your support! Without you this video would not be possible! Michel-Ange Hortegat, Enes Kirimi, Amaury BISIAUX, ND, Samyogita Hardikar, Vanessa Graulich, Vandana Gunwani, Abdulmohsin Almadi, AJ Lyon, Geoffrey Bultitude, Mi Mi, Thomas Rothert, Brian Elieson, Oge O, Weronika Falkowska, Nevin Spoljaric, Sid Chanpuriya, Anoop Varghese, David Yastremski, Noah Webb, Roberto Chena, Oliver Koo, Luke Pisano, Andrea Gordon, Aleksandar Donev, Nicole Klau Ibarra, Jesse Lira, Ezekiel Raui, Petr Vacek, Dennis, Olivia Fu, Kari Teffeau, Cindy Lai, Rajath Durgada Manjunath, Dan Nguyen, Chin Beng Tan, Tom Boman, Karen Warner, Iryna Panasiuk, Aaron Torres, Eric Braun, Sonja Worzewski, Michael Clement, Adam Berry, Ghaith Tarawneh, Nathan Milford, Tomas Beckett, Alice Ice, Eric Berman and Kurt Paolo Sevillano. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Explore a classic philosophical debate and decide: is it human nature to be selfish? And if so, is it possible to overcome it?--The question of whether or not humans are inherently selfish is one of philosophy’s oldest debates. The idea that we only act out of self-interest is an extreme stance that few philosophers would endorse. However, the idea that all humans have a deep selfish streak is something many philosophers would agree with. So, are we innately selfish? Mark Hopwood explores this classic conundrum.Lesson by Mark Hopwood, directed by Avi Ofer.Grab a copy of Chris Anderson’s book “Infectious Generosity” here: https://bit.ly/TEDEdInfectiousGenerositySupport Our Non-Profit Mission----------------------------------------------Support us on Patreon: http://bit.ly/TEDEdPatreonCheck out our merch: http://bit.ly/TEDEDShop----------------------------------------------Connect With Us----------------------------------------------Sign up for our newsletter: http://bit.ly/TEDEdNewsletterFollow us on Facebook: http://bit.ly/TEDEdFacebookFind us on Twitter: http://bit.ly/TEDEdTwitterPeep us on Instagram: http://bit.ly/TEDEdInstagram----------------------------------------------Keep Learning----------------------------------------------View full lesson: https://ed.ted.com/lessons/how-to-know-if-you-re-being-selfish-and-whether-or-not-that-s-bad-mark-hopwoodDig deeper with additional resources: https://ed.ted.com/lessons/how-to-know-if-you-re-being-selfish-and-whether-or-not-that-s-bad-mark-hopwood/digdeeperAnimator's website: https://aviofer.comEducator's website: https://new.sewanee.edu/programs-of-study/philosophy/faculty-staff/mark-hopwoodMusic: https://www.wonderboyaudio.com----------------------------------------------Thank you so much to our patrons for your support! Without you this video would not be possible! Michel-Ange Hortegat, Enes Kirimi, Amaury BISIAUX, ND, Samyogita Hardikar, Vanessa Graulich, Vandana Gunwani, Abdulmohsin Almadi, AJ Lyon, Geoffrey Bultitude, Mi Mi, Thomas Rothert, Brian Elieson, Oge O, Weronika Falkowska, Nevin Spoljaric, Sid Chanpuriya, Anoop Varghese, David Yastremski, Noah Webb, Roberto Chena, Oliver Koo, Luke Pisano, Andrea Gordon, Aleksandar Donev, Nicole Klau Ibarra, Jesse Lira, Ezekiel Raui, Petr Vacek, Dennis, Olivia Fu, Kari Teffeau, Cindy Lai, Rajath Durgada Manjunath, Dan Nguyen, Chin Beng Tan, Tom Boman, Karen Warner, Iryna Panasiuk, Aaron Torres, Eric Braun, Sonja Worzewski, Michael Clement, Adam Berry, Ghaith Tarawneh, Nathan Milford, Tomas Beckett, Alice Ice, Eric Berman and Kurt Paolo Sevillano. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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How to recognize if you're self-interested (and whether that's actually harmful) - Mark Hopwood

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This episode was published on June 10, 2026.

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Explore a classic philosophical debate and decide: is it human nature to be selfish? And if so, is it possible to overcome it?--The question of whether or not humans are inherently selfish is one of philosophy’s oldest debates. The idea that we only...

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