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← By pursuing their own interest, people frequently serve society better than when they set out to serve it

17 connected korrents · 18 moments from 9 Mar 1776 to 25 Sept 2026.

Everything filed under behavioural science behavioural science Everything filed under discipline discipline Everything filed under attitude change attitude change Everything filed under motivation motivation Same subjectSame subjectSame subjectSame subjectSame subjectSame subjectSame subjectSame subjectSame subjectSame subjectSame subjectSame subjectSame subjectSame subjectSame subjectSame subjectSame subject Read this korrent: By pursuing their own interest, people frequently serve society better than when they set out to serve it By pursuing their own interest, peoplefrequently serve society better than whenthey set out to serve it Last stated 251 years ago 9 Mar 1776 AS Adam Smith — holds since 1776-03-09 — tap for who they are Same subject: We get our dinner from traders by appealing to their self-interest, not to their kindness — tap to centre the map on it We get our dinner from traders byappealing to their self-interest,not to their kindness Last stated 251 years ago 9 Mar 1776 AS Adam Smith — holds since 1776-03-09 — tap for who they are Same subject: The slave trade hardens the people who deal in it; slave dealers are not born worse than other men — tap to centre the map on it The slave trade hardens the peoplewho deal in it; slave dealers arenot born worse than other men Last stated 238 years ago 24 Mar 1789 OE Olaudah Equiano — holds since 1789-03-24 — tap for who they are Same subject: People pursue hobbies largely for value that can't be easily monetized. — tap to centre the map on it People pursue hobbies largely forvalue that can't be easilymonetized. Last stated 8 months ago 30 Jan 2026 AK Arvid Kahl — holds since 2026-01-30 — tap for who they are Same subject: Working on how good the long-run future is does not require accepting consequentialism or believing that you should always maximise the good. — tap to centre the map on it Working on how good the long-runfuture is does not require acceptingconsequentialism or believing thatyou should always maximise the good. Last stated a year ago 3 Aug 2025 WM William MacAskill — holds since 2025-08-03 — tap for who they are Same subject: You can often create value for others without sacrifice, by deciding more wisely how to spend your time and what to do at work — tap to centre the map on it You can often create value forothers without sacrifice, bydeciding more wisely how to spendyour time and what to do at work Last stated 6 years ago 31 Oct 2020 MB Max Bazerman — holds since 2020-10-31 — tap for who they are Same subject: Some men are motivated by desires other than financial gain, and cannot be swayed by conventional means. — tap to centre the map on it Some men are motivated by desiresother than financial gain, andcannot be swayed by conventionalmeans. Last stated a week ago 25 Sept 2026 DH David Heinemeier Hansson — holds since 2026-09-25 — tap for who they are Same subject: The best opportunities to do good are the ones almost nobody is paying attention to. — tap to centre the map on it The best opportunities to do goodare the ones almost nobody is payingattention to. Last stated 3 years ago 28 Nov 2023 HK Holden Karnofsky — holds since 2022-02-02 — tap for who they are SA Scott Alexander — holds since 2023-11-28 — tap for who they are Same subject: It is not appropriate to donate to your own employer, however good a giving opportunity it would otherwise be. — tap to centre the map on it It is not appropriate to donate toyour own employer, however good agiving opportunity it wouldotherwise be. Last stated 12 years ago 17 Dec 2014 EH Elie Hassenfeld — holds since 2014-12-17 — tap for who they are Same subject: A belief system combining cosmic stakes, privileged knowledge, personal vocation and an imperative to act can license extraordinary behavior when it conflicts with ordinary constraints. — tap to centre the map on it A belief system combining cosmicstakes, privileged knowledge,personal vocation and an imperativeto act can license extraordinarybehavior when it conflicts withordinary constraints. Last stated 2 weeks ago 17 Sept 2026 VR Venkatesh Rao — holds since 2026-09-17 — tap for who they are Same subject: A cancellation-reason drop-down measures list order rather than reasons: randomise the options and every one of them gets picked equally. — tap to centre the map on it A cancellation-reason drop-downmeasures list order rather thanreasons: randomise the options andevery one of them gets pickedequally. Last stated 8 months ago 25 Jan 2026 JC Jason Cohen — holds since 2026-01-25 — tap for who they are Same subject: A decision cannot be judged by its outcome, because good decisions fail through no fault of the decider and bad ones succeed by luck. — tap to centre the map on it A decision cannot be judged by itsoutcome, because good decisions failthrough no fault of the decider andbad ones succeed by luck. Last stated 4 years ago 9 Aug 2022 GK Gary Klein — holds since 2022-08-09 — tap for who they are Same subject: Blaming and shaming people only makes them defensive, dig in their heels, or tune out, rather than change their minds. — tap to centre the map on it Blaming and shaming people onlymakes them defensive, dig in theirheels, or tune out, rather thanchange their minds. Last stated 4 months ago 9 Jun 2026 AG Adam Grant — holds since 2026-06-09 — tap for who they are Same subject: Decades of warnings about an AI apocalypse do not justify much concern today. — tap to centre the map on it Decades of warnings about an AIapocalypse do not justify muchconcern today. Last stated 3 weeks ago 12 Sept 2026 PF Paul Ford — holds since 2026-09-12 — tap for who they are Same subject: Deliberately shifting a culture is far harder now that everyone can personalise their media and skip past anything they dislike. — tap to centre the map on it Deliberately shifting a culture isfar harder now that everyone canpersonalise their media and skippast anything they dislike. Last stated a year ago 1 Jul 2025 AE Alice Evans — holds since 2025-07-01 — tap for who they are Same subject: A feeling outlasts the memory of what caused it: amnesic patients stayed sad long after they had forgotten the sad film they were shown. — tap to centre the map on it A feeling outlasts the memory ofwhat caused it: amnesic patientsstayed sad long after they hadforgotten the sad film they wereshown. Last stated 2 months ago 17 Aug 2026 RA Ralph Adolphs — holds since 2026-08-17 — tap for who they are Same subject: A person cannot expect to find lasting balance between conflicting parts of their psychology. — tap to centre the map on it A person cannot expect to findlasting balance between conflictingparts of their psychology. Last stated 4 months ago 11 Jun 2026 SC Sasha Chapin — holds since 2026-06-11 — tap for who they are Same subject: AI agents will need persistent unique identifiers that trace their actions back to a responsible actor, and so will the humans directing them. — tap to centre the map on it AI agents will need persistentunique identifiers that trace theiractions back to a responsible actor,and so will the humans directingthem. Last stated a month ago 1 Sept 2026 DB Dean W. Ball — holds since 2026-09-01 — tap for who they are
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At the centre By pursuing their own interest, people frequently serve society better than when they set out to serve it Last stated 9 Mar 1776 · 251 years ago Holds Adam Smith Read this korrent →