First, self-benefit is great. It becomes easier to think about this if we try to ignore the distinction between self and other at least in our conscious thinking in so far as that is possible. Doing great good for ten people and doing a little good for one person is a little better than “only” doing great good for ten people. Self-benefit also has the carrot effect. Some Less Wrong folks use sugar or nicotine to Pavlov-like positively motivate themselves to enjoy doing something more (e.g., writing a thesis), so self-benefit can lead to even more excited altruism.
Selfish intentions are tricky, though, because while altruism can arguably originate in selfish intentions as some other commenters have pointed out, I haven’t found a way to motivate effectiveness on that basis (except in cases where the intervention benefits everyone, like x-risk).
First, self-benefit is great. It becomes easier to think about this if we try to ignore the distinction between self and other at least in our conscious thinking in so far as that is possible. Doing great good for ten people and doing a little good for one person is a little better than “only” doing great good for ten people. Self-benefit also has the carrot effect. Some Less Wrong folks use sugar or nicotine to Pavlov-like positively motivate themselves to enjoy doing something more (e.g., writing a thesis), so self-benefit can lead to even more excited altruism.
Selfish intentions are tricky, though, because while altruism can arguably originate in selfish intentions as some other commenters have pointed out, I haven’t found a way to motivate effectiveness on that basis (except in cases where the intervention benefits everyone, like x-risk).