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why does man seek first his own good, at the expense of the good of others?

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You're generalising something that isn't always true

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is such selfishness conditioned or innate?

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Both

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cann it be changed/rewired?

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Of course, it's called altruism, heroism, philanthropy, being a good person,...

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is it in man's best interest to seek max happiness/pleasure at any cost?

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That depends what their goals are.

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why should i not seek the max good of sklansky? would this be wrong, illogical, nonsensical?

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Don't know what you mean.

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does anything make sense?

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Yes.

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is anything true?

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Yes, some things are true

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is anything good?

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Yes, some things are good

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or all these questions completely meaningless?

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Depends on why you're asking them.

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if yes, is this affirmative answer a completely meaningless resolution to my above questions?

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lol

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what is genius?

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The ability to perceive and model reality with unusally high accuracy and in a highly functional manner.

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what is the general correlation between genius and arrogance, etc?

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I have found none.

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are most 'true' geniuses generally humble or arrogant?

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Both

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is sklansky a true 'genius'?

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No.

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is it good that his ultimate end is financial increase?

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If that was the case, it wouldn't be good.

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or perhaps that is not his main end?

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Perhaps

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if he were even more of a genius, could he then teach himself immediately to play a mean electric guitar?

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Good question.

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if he could, and had the musical acumen of mozart, would he then be better qualified to speak on whether God exists?

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It's human nature to give the views of the highly capable more credit.

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if God does not exist, is it better for me to disbelieve in Him.

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That depends on how much you value honesty vs your needs.

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Should I then curse and despise those who falsely believe?

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Not a good way to make friends

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If not, then why not. If so, then why.

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See above

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Which answer is 'better'.

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My answer

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What does 'better' mean?

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More adequate, more suitable, more correct, more useful, more capable of imparting insight.

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Do any of the words on this website make real sense?

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Depends on how they are used

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Why argue ferociously over whose arguments are better?

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Because it's human nature.

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Why is pride, etc so quick to rule and predominate over most every post one reads in this section?

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Because neither side gives a quarter to the obviously correct points of the other.

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if not, then what purpose to people have in their arguments here?

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Not as much as they could have.

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perhaps all these arguments were preordained by blind chance, and not one occurrence of the infinite # of occurrences that occur occur by chance, but are instead predetermined.

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That is a possibility, but not one I ascribe to.

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i am only writing this now because it could be no other way.

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lol

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hitler only killed because it could be no other way. if this were true, which it cannot be, then...well it doesnt matter, most of the arguments i read here are vain, empty, and without any helpful 'meaning' or redemptive quality. all vanity. you are all very smart, many geniuses who enjoy being complimented and being right, who enjoy 'truth' and proclaiming it for the benefit of others

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