To What Degree is Self-Interest Necessary?

I recently had the privilege of participating in the United Nations’ High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF), a conference where nations, UN agencies, and civil society organizations come together to discuss critical global challenges. It is an occasion for nations to assess their progress toward meeting the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as well as what additional steps need to be taken in order to achieve them. It is an opportunity for all participants to realize the progress that is being made toward advancing humankind through the SDGs, and it grants all participants a moment to reflect upon their own impact in the greater society. This year, HLPF had the theme of “advancing sustainable, inclusive, science-and evidence-based solutions for the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its Sustainable Development Goals for leaving no one behind.” During HLPF, it was emphasized that all SDGs are interdependent, as the advancement of one results in the advancement of the other and vice-versa. HLPF this year helped me to better understand the importance of pursuing the SDGs and the great difficulty that most nations have in pursuing these goals because of the limited extent to which nations fully aid one another and communicate effectively. The HLPF experience gave me the opportunity to reflect on the challenge of global advancement so long as nations act only with regard for their own interest.

My main subject of interest, brought up consistently, was the importance of changing conventional, outdated societal views on how a society should be structured in order to benefit the overall population. To take one example, one speaker emphasized the importance of communal interest over self-interest, advocating for marginalized communities to have equal access to opportunities. Another heavily emphasized point in a related discussion was the need to reconceptualize the way we view the individual and to view everyone as having the capacity to contribute to the common good. 

Despite the desire of many nations to challenge outworn norms in the international setting, I see, in my experience, the difficulty in transforming that desire into reality. In nations where capitalism and subsequent profit maximization is at the forefront of society, the assumption of self-interest is common and, therefore, social structures are not only designed on this assumption, but also reinforce it. Living in the United States, I can see that self-interest becomes an inevitable part of the culture, as it rewards profit maximization at the expense of communal well-being. Purely capitalist structures based on the idea that individuals have exclusively their own benefit in mind naturally end up perpetuating injustice. In this model, individuals are encouraged, in different ways, to make as much money as possible, often without considering this impact on the rest of society. As a result, development in favor of advancing human rights and other sustainable development goals becomes more challenging.

While operating on self-interest can undeniably yield immediate perceived rewards for some, it seems important to consider where it is limited or incomplete. Many thinkers, like Adam Smith, have posited that the pursuit of profit can lead to tangible material benefit in entire societies. 

For those who solely pursue self-interest, monetary gain is the true perceived reward; however, at what cost? The pursuit of self-interest leads to a society in which exploitation and subsequent regression of that society becomes common. The belief that one must only work for their own benefit results in the inevitable failure to address many of society’s shortcomings, including the oppression many minorities experience.

On the other side of the spectrum, thinkers like Marx, have explored models that prioritize communal well-being rather than individual self-interest. However, pursuing solely the communal interest, while it may seem to benefit the overall community, could lead to other forms of exploitation if diversity and individuality are suppressed. Furthermore, overemphasizing sameness in the name of communal interest could create a society in which innovation is stifled because it diminishes the diversity of thought that is needed for creative ideas to flourish. Societies that employ such a model could result in tyranny and oppressive regimes where one leader exerts control over the lives of their subjects. Ultimately, radicalizing to either individual self-interest or sameness in the name of communal interest has major harmful effects on greater society and on advancing the UN’s agenda. 

What model can harmonize humanity’s need for individual initiative and diversity of thought with communal well-being? Many current capitalist institutions create situations in which individuals are systemically repressed; hence, their reorganization is key. The harmonizing of these two ideologies helps society overcome its tendency to “other” anyone. Both perspectives help us see that the way we can achieve the SDGs is not by an individual pursuing their interest, or a model that demands “sameness.” Rather, the active involvement of individuals, communities, and institutions all working together in partnership is what leads to the advancement of the SDGs. Even though progress may be more gradual, planting the seeds for change will lead to ultimate success rather than attempting to immediately and radically change society. All individuals require cooperation and solidarity in order to contribute to the common good and benefit all people, a development that current society is missing and desperately needs. With such a lens, HLPF has the opportunity to bring about vital change to society and to ultimately lead to the successful completion of the SDG agenda.

Daghan Konur is an intern at the Baháʼí International Community United Nations Office in New York