in the interest of self interest

 The problem with how people see self-interest is that people believe in the insults against self-interest rather then try to understand what it means to be self-interested. The insults state that if you are self-interested you will just stump on everyone and hurt people all day long. I was arguing with a statist who openly promoted a strong centralized state who simply said that anyone who is self-interested would just "slit the throat" of people in their way to get ahead. This is simply not the case. A self-interested person is someone who considers their survival and happiness first. It does not follow that they will hurt people. In fact, I would argue that such action is bad for their self interest.
 The market is a good example of how self-interest is best attained trough positive mutually benefiting interactions. In face one is the most successfully self-interested the more they enter into these mutually benefiting relations. This is because the happiness and life of both parties are increased. It would not help McDonalds to make poisonous burgers because their business would go under.
 The problem is that unfree societies that give people the ability to use force undermines and perverts the positive nature of self-interest. In a free society, self-interest is had by improving oneself and making friends who those who are good to you(customers, smart people, friends,etc) and making enemies and staying away from people who are bad for you (liars, cheaters, government officials, jerks,etc) In unfree and semi-free societies people self-interest pulls them into truly self-destructive(ie not really rationally self-interested but irrationally) behavior. Examples of this in semi-free societies is using regulation and laws to keep out competitors(minimum wage, licensing,etc) It appears that self-interest is best in a society without compulsion. These two will result in the most happiness due to a system of self-interest where all who act selfishly help others in their own pursuit of self.
 It is important when making arguments of this size not to only argue from effect. So far I have argued that self-interest in a free society is good because it leads to more happiness. This is very utilitarian. The other argument for self-interest comes from Nozicks argument from separateness. Basically each individual person in separate from eh group. The group does not exist in the material world but is simply an important concept to help organize people. Nozick goes on to say that is why some people shouldn’t be sacrificed for the group. This is because it is not part of the group sacrificing itself for the whole group but some individuals being harmed to help other individuals. Which is wrong but it depends on the situation to explain why. If it is taxiing one group to give to another it is both for and against property rights which violates Aristotle’s laws of logic but being a contradiction.
 Also people own their own bodies. I can move my hand up and down if I wish. I can bar other people from using my body. I have power over it and can call it mine.
 These last two paragraphs have been made to build up to this point and this question. Self-interest is the unwillingness to morally submit to authority(may do so in a physical sense to avoid harm). I own my body and am an individual. It is like a in a board game. I count myself as a separate player. I don’t identify as a group of players but as a single entity which plays. This is why self-interest is important to liberty. You can’t convince a self-made and self-interested man to sacrifice his property and liberty for the common good which is really the common good only of the state. A self-interested man is a threat to conformity and the power hungry. Convince a man that he ought never to consider his own interests and he becomes that more easier to convince that his property belongs to others regardless if it justly does or not.
 This is a very broad topic and this medium isn’t made for long posts so I will conclude thusly. A rationally self-interested man in a free society is a productive and well off man. Not just materially but spiritually(in a secular sense(Greek). Self-interest does not mean doing what ever it takes to get money. Such is a person has no self or self interest. Self interest is simply the pursuit of happiness.