In fact, I see the status-seeking aspects of charity as mostly negative. When I’m in poor countries, I hate it when people suck up to me because I’m a potential meal ticket. This has the feel of being chatted up by someone of the wrong sexual orientation; you can tell the other person is very interested in the conversation, but personally it’s hard not to be bored. In rich countries, most of my friends haven’t traveled much to poor countries and don’t share my perspective. While I’d like to be able to influence their donations, I don’t want to come across as arrogant, and don’t want to belittle their charities, even if I find them ineffectual. e.g. if someone’s parent has died of cancer, I’d rather not explain to them why I prefer MSF to the American Cancer Society. Or if someone has credit card debt and doesn’t donate much, I don’t want to embarrass them about this.

Ok, so my donations fit my self-image as a partially moral person, but c’mon: my jogging helps fit my self-image as a healthy person. My givewell-style charitable donations are one of the least status-seeking things I do.

“After castration, probably due at least in part to the self-image thing, I have had and still sometime have, big problems with my drive and motivation. There are so many things that no longer matter to me – things that created the “appearance” of who I was – nice clothes, new car, you know, all the toys. Today I don’t feel the need for these things, because I simply don’t care what anyone else thinks when they see me. So why waste the effort and money to “show off” ??? And if you don’t need the extra money, then you don’t need to make as much money, which of course takes less effort. The problem was that I just could not find a REASON to have a drive. What was I working for? It took years for me to establish a new “life plan” … something to “chase”. And even now that I have one, I have to really fight with myself, to force myself to do what I need to do.”

Am I merely trying to fulfill a specific, desired conception of myself? While that may be true sometimes, a functionalist answer seems much too simplistic to be valid all the time.

This is like saying: the motivations implanted in the individual by natural selection ultimately subserve his reproductive success; therefore, whatever we do is *really* aimed at reproducing ourselves. (Not a very illuminating comment.)

but among none-idiots

I am almost certainly an idiot by your reckoning… I think some of the blame lies with the state, without it I wouldn’t have either perished early or maybe turned out a real prick. I’m not sure what’s best.

If I became a philosopher, if I have so keenly sought this fame for which I’m still waiting, it’s all been to seduce women basically. – Sartre

Just be Great, then you can say anything.