History Main / EnlightenedSelfInterest

** Tarma and Kethry are compelled by Need to go to the rescue of {{Distressed Damsel}}s and are usually then paid for it, complaining heartily whenever they're not; helping also allows their fame to grow, which is beneficial to Tarma's cause. Kethry's granddaughter Kero refuses Need's call unless she ''does'' get paid, and rescues a Herald after ascertaining that his people will cut her a check for doing so.

** Tarma and Kethry are compelled by Need to go to the rescue of {{Distressed Damsel}}s and are usually then paid for it, complaining heartily whenever they're not. Kethry's granddaughter Kero refuses Need's call unless she ''does'' get paid, and rescues a Herald after ascertaining that his people will cut her a check for doing so.

* In ''Literature/TheNumairChronicles'', trainee healers are required to volunteer in poor hospitals during plagues in order to get their credentials. When Arram helps at one such hospital during a cholera outbreak, several such trainees are with him and he finds that that requirement is the only reason they're involved at all; they have no compassion for the impoverished and see getting properly accredited as their way of never having to serve in such inglorious, unprofitable places again.

[[folder:Web Animation]]
* Alastor from ''WebAnimation/HazbinHotel'' says upfront to Charlie that her plan with the Hotel is unlikely to work, but [[ItAmusedMe since it sounds like a fun idea for a reality show]] he may as well become the BigGood with no strings attached.

* In a number of interviews, Creator/JimmySavile was asked why he did so much charity work. His response was so that, when he died, he would be able to show St. Peter the list of all the lives he changed, all the money he raised for charity, and he believed this would overlook any sins he had committed. This justification took a horrifying turn when he was exposed as one of Britain's most prolific pedophiles and sexual abusers after his death.

* In ''Literature/HarryPotterAndTheHalfBloodPrince'', Prof. Slughorn has this as his characterization: being a NiceGuy from the otherwise unsavory and self-interested Slytherin House, he often helps people he thinks would have potential to become great so that he will gain some benefit some way or another later. [[spoiler:This backfired with [[BigBad Tom "Lord Voldemort" Riddle]], to whom he provided information on dark magics such as the Horcrux, and he regards it as MyGreatestFailure.]] However, Slughorn is surprisingly lax with his requests from his old proteges, usually being sports tickets, sweets, or such modesties. Granted, he was retired by the start of the series so it's likely he had no real ambition by his age except to enjoy his golden years in comfort (at least until Dumbledore convinces him to come out of retirement and return as a professor).

* In ''Literature/TheWorldsFinestAssassin'', the titular aristocratic assassin Lugh Tuatha Dé is [[NiceToTheWaiter kind and helpful to the villagers working his family lands]] and goes out of his way to rescue and train the orphans Tarte and Maha, who were doomed to short, miserable lives full of suffering before Lugh intervened. He does this not out of altruism, but because he's building a resource base and recruiting talented, loyal pawns for his work. Despite his self-interested goals, however, the fact that he's objectively improving the lives of the people he interacts with still puts him morally head and shoulders above the corrupt nobles who are his most common targets.

* In the AlternateHistory of ''Series/QueenCharlotteABridgertonStory'', Princess Augusta singlehandedly desegregates the high society of Georgian England by ennobling people of color from good families...not because she cares about racial equality, but because it will allow the crown to save face after George marries a woman they didn't realize was half-Black.

* In ''Videogame/TheOuterWorlds'', Sanjar Nandi is a rare example of an HonestCorporateExecutive in a setting where almost every corporate higher-up is either [[CorruptCorporateExecutive corrupt]], [[PointyHairedBoss incompetent]] or a combination of both. His corporation espouses such values as worker's rights and not putting profits over lives, with Sanjar noting that not only are happy and healthy workers more productive, his employees also happen to be his customers so it's in his best interest to keep them happy.

* UsefulNotes/FranklinDRoosevelt, before and after the US entered UsefulNotes/WorldWarII, sold the UK war material, food, and other commodities at reasonable prices (or even on-loan) partly because it was profitable and helped the USA's economic recovery, partly because it saved Anglo-Saxon civilians' lives, and partly because it helped keep Hitler at bay.

* ''Film/PiratesOfTheCaribbeanAtWorldsEnd'': The vote to decide the Pirate King is resolved by this. Historically, every Pirate Lord has voted for themselves, and so there has never been a Pirate King; during the vote in the film, the same thing happens for every Pirate Lord who casts their vote before Jack Sparrow. Jack, however, wants the Pirate Lords to sail to war, a decision that can only be made by the Pirate King -- and since one of the other Pirate Lords has demonstrated her agreement with that course of action, Jack casts ''his'' vote for Elizabeth Swann, giving her two votes to everyone else's single and naming her Pirate King.

Whether it's a big corporation sponsoring their local Creator/{{PBS}} station, getting ad time in exchange for helping provide a public service, a nation-state providing humanitarian aid to another in hopes of later reciprocation, or just ordinary people trading favors, the idea is relatively simple: you do well by doing good. It differs from pure altruism in that the do-gooder is actively seeking tangible future benefits (i.e. they're '''''not''''' being selfless), but is still usually on the optimistic side of the SlidingScaleOfIdealismVersusCynicism.

Whether it's a big corporation sponsoring their local Creator/{{PBS}} station, getting ad time in exchange for helping provide a public service, a nation-state providing humanitarian aid to another in hopes of later reciprocation, or just ordinary people trading favors, the idea is relatively simple: you do well by doing good. It differs from pure altruism in that the do-gooder is actively seeking tangible future benefits (i.e. they're '''''not''''' doing it to make themselves feel good or otherwise being selfless), but is still usually on the optimistic side of the SlidingScaleOfIdealismVersusCynicism.

* ''Manga/DeathNoteSpecialChapter'': When Minoru Tanaka receives the Death Note, he uses it to make himself rich rather than using its instant kill abilities, since the former can be done legally and risk-free. When he auctions off the Death Note, he has the money divided among everyone with a Yotsuba Bank of Japan savings account under the age of 60. This is an acceptable sacrifice to protect his anonymity, since he's still going to get 1 billion yen anyways. [[spoiler:At least until the Shinigami King writes a new rule forbidding the sale of the Death Note, resulting in Minoru dying at the end of the manga despite his efforts to avoid conflict.]]

* In ''Fanfic/OneForAllAndEightForTheNinth'', [[Manga/MyHeroAcademia Izuku]] berates Rikiya Yotsubashi, the [[FantasticRacism Quirkist]] owner of Detnerat, over his company's policy of denying services to [[UnSorcerer Quirkless]] people. Other industrialists witness this and realize that Quirkless people (who form 20 percent of the population) represent a large, relatively untapped market, so they begin to work with the few companies that are still largely working to make products for them, which allows them to make a lot of money while getting great publicity.

** After undeservedly gaining a reputation of a brutal murderer, Jaune proceeds to reform the White Fang, give charity to the poor, and attack Vale's corrupt institutions. Jaune has no genuine desire to do any of these things [[spoiler:at first]], but wants to improve his reputation.

* In ''Literature/CodexAlera'', this is mentioned word-for-word to be the reason why [[ChronicBackstabbingDisorder Invidia Aquitaine]] makes and maintains her alliance with Isana. The problem is, she's not as enlightened as she thinks she is, and tends to underestimate the intelligence of others. This causes her to betray other people of a number of occasions when she thinks it is in her self-interest to do so, only to find they've predicted it and she's just put herself in a much worse position than if she'd kept her word.

* In ''Literature/HarryPotterAndTheHalfBloodPrince'', Prof. Slughorn has this as his characterization: being a NiceGuy from the otherwise unsavory and self-interested Slytherin House, he often helps people he thinks would have potential to become great so that he will gain some benefit some way or another later. [[spoiler:This backfired with [[BigBad Tom "Lord Voldemort" Riddle]], to whom he provided information on dark magics such as the Horcrux, and he regards it as MyGreatestFailure.]] However, Slughorn is surprisingly lax with his requests from his old proteges, usually being sports tickets, sweets or such modesties. Granted, he was retired by the start of the series so it's likely he had no real ambition by his age except to enjoy his golden years in comfort (at least until Dumbledore convinces him to come out of retirement and return as a professor).

** In ''The Honor of the Queen'', the Star Kingdom of Manticore gives a massive tech bump to Grayson and several other planets at great expense and financial risk (huge Crown loans that may or may not ever be repaid) because they need allies and forward operating bases for the upcoming war with Haven. Haven did essentially the same thing, although because of their bad reputation they frequently had to settle for worse options like [[TheFundamentalist Masada]] (they would've preferred Grayson but the Manties got there first and [[TheGoodKing Protector Benjamin]] was distrustful of their track record anyway), to whom they gave a ''City''-class destroyer and a ''Sultan''-class battlecruiser.

* In the anthology of short stories ''Literature/{{Litmus}}'' (literature dramatising and explaining advances in science), author Maggie Gee offers the story "Living With Insects". This deals with the work of real-life biologist Bill Hamilton, who theorised and demonstrated that Nature does not ''have'' to be red in tooth and claw. Hamilton dealt with social insects, and in particular was seeking to resolve issues with "gender-neutral" species that even Darwin admitted could not be resolved according to his concept of evolution. Hamilton not only created a framework for resolving Darwin's enigmas, but he also demonstrated that the social insects offer a new route to evolutionary progress that might be even more efficient than "survival of the fittest" via continual competition. Hamilton suggested the social altruism practiced by ants, bees, etc., offers a co-operative method for societies to evolve and grow for less effort expended--therefore much more efficient. "Hamilton's Law", in biology and zoology, condenses this into '''c < br'''.[[note]] where "c" = "cost expended by the altruist", which is always less than "b", "benefits received by the recipient" especially when multiplied by any number of altruistic transactions going on within a related community -- "r". [[/note]]

* The protagonists of ''Literature/{{Safehold}}'' tend to lampshade those occasions when doing the politically expedient thing coincides with also doing the right thing. Specific examples include providing much-needed food to the civil war-torn Republic of Siddarmark, which also nets them an equally much needed mainland ally, and not assassinating the Earl of Thirsk, which is decided both because he's a WorthyOpponent who deserves better and because removing him presents the risk of someone less willing to oppose the Inquisition replacing him.

* In ''Literature/TheWorldsFinestAssassin'', the titular aristocratic assassin Lugh Tuatha Dé is [[NiceToTheWaiter kind and helpful to the villagers working his family lands]] and goes out of his way to rescue and train the orphans Tarte and Maha, who were doomed to short, miserable lives full of suffering before Lugh intervened. He does this not out of altruism, but because he's building a resource base and recruiting talented, loyal pawns for his work. Despite his self-interested goals, however, the fact that he's objectively improving the lives of the people he interacts with still puts him morally head and shoulders above the corrupt nobles that are his most common targets.

** {{Discussed}} by G'Kar in season one's "[[Recap/BabylonFiveS01E11Survivors Survivors]]". Garibaldi has been framed for plotting to assassinate President Luis Santiago (this is well before he actually ''was'' assassinated), and G'Kar offers to grant him asylum on Narn in hopes of making use of his skillset. (Garibaldi declines, instead choosing to ClearMyName.)

* ''VideoGame/HorizonZeroDawn'': Sylens espouses this philosophy, mocking the idea of actually trusting people but being more than willing to work with anyone if it serves his interests... and then abandoning them once he's gotten everything he needs out of them. [[spoiler:He actually created the Shadow Carja and directly empowered the BigBad]], but he insists everything he did was perfectly justified, he simply didn't take enough precautions. Aloy, who operates on a more idealistic type of pragmatism, is able to work with him, but she hates every second of it. Even though he considers Aloy an equal partner, he lies to her constantly, because he finds it easier to hide his less moral actions rather than to bother explaining them to her. In ''VideoGame/HorizonForbiddenWest'', [[spoiler:this backfires on Sylens because he seemingly betrayed her and she cuts off communication, when the truth is that he (ironically) vastly overestimated the altruism of another faction]].

* MegaCorp [[OneNationUnderCopyright Empires]] in ''VideoGame/{{Stellaris}}'' are a MechanicallyUnusualClass that encourage this mentality to some degree. Corporate empires tend to have certain job variants that generate extra Trade, and with the Trade League [[TheFederation Federation]] that they can create, they can easily generate large amounts of luxury goods and foster a thriving corporate culture, which makes it easy to enable [[NoPoverty Utopian]] [[PostScarcityEconomy Abundance]] living standards for their population, bringing a high Approval Rating and thus high Stability. They can also open Branch Offices on planets belonging to other empires, which generate [[EnergyEconomy Energy]] [[WeWillSpendCreditsInTheFuture Credits]] for the Megacorps based on how thriving said planet's economy is, so they are encouraged to help these economies to thrive just to collect the massive dividends this would bring them. Their Branch Offices also allow them to build unique Corporate buildings, which gives resources to the Corporation, but also creates local employment (creating resources for the local authority).

* UsefulNotes/FranklinDRoosevelt, before and after the US entered UsefulNotes/WorldWarII, sold the UK war materiel, food, and other commodities at reasonable prices (or even on-loan) partly because it was profitable and helped the USA's economic recovery, partly because it saved Anglo-Saxon civilians' lives, and partly because it helped keep Hitler at bay.

* In a number of interviews, Creator/JimmySavile was asked why he did so much charity work. His response was so that, when he died, he would be able to show St. Peter the list of all the lives he changed, all the money he raised for charity, and believed this would overlook any sins he had committed. This justification took a horrifying turn when he was exposed as one of Britain's most prolific pedophiles and sexual abusers after his death.

'''Sylens:''' Good, that means you're wising up. Trust is for fools. It shifts and crumbles like sand--a poor foundation for any partnership. But mutual-self interest, now that is a solid bedrock upon which you and I might build a new science of understanding.

** Realizing that Jaune is crafting a benevolent image for himself, Ozpin responds with his own [=PR=] campaign to help discredit the White Fang and enhance Beacon's reputation. [[WideEyedIdealist Ruby]] notes with some frustration that Vale's attempts to help the faunus isn't being done out of altruism, but to discredit Jaune himself.

* In ''Literature/HarryPotterAndTheHalfBloodPrince'', Prof. Slughorn has this as his characterization: being a NiceGuy from the otherwise unsavory and self-interested Slytherin House, he often helps people he thinks would have potential to become great so that he will gain some benefit some way or another later. [[spoiler:This backfired with [[BigBad Tom "Lord Voldemort" Riddle]], to whom he provided information on dark magics such as the Horcrux, and he regards it as MyGreatestFailure.]] However, Slughorn is surprisingly lax with his requests from his old proteges, usually being sports tickets, sweets or such modesties. Granted, he was retired by the start of the series so it's likely he had no real ambition by his age except to enjoy his golden years in comfort (at least until Dumbledore convinces to come out of retirement and return as a professor).

* In ''Literature/TheTruceAtBakura'', the Rebel Alliance intervenes in an AlienInvasion of the Imperial planet Bakura despite having suffered heavy casualties mere days earlier at the [[Film/ReturnOfTheJedi Battle of Endor]]. Getting an Imperial world to switch sides so soon after Emperor Palpatine's death would have enormous propaganda value, and moreover, Bakura is a mid-scale supplier of [[AntiGravity repulsorlift]] engines and components, a BoringButPractical but rather important strategic resource.

-->'''Phoebe:''' ''(excitedly)'' Oh, look, look, Joey's on TV! Isn't that great? Hey, my pledge got Joey on TV! Oh, that makes me feel so-- [[ExplainExplainOhCrap Oh, no!]]

[[folder:Other]]
* BumperSticker: "Everyone does better when everyone does better."
[[/folder]]

* ''TabletopGame/Warhammer40000'': This is the theory behind the Tau Empire's philosophy of the Greater Good, that multiple species can work together and still attain their own goals. For example, the Kroot seek new enemies to diversify their genetic material, so they work with the Tau as frontline troops to get plenty of meat and DNA. Like every slightly positive aspect of 40K, it's best not examined too closely, as [[UnreliableNarrator it's possible]] the Tau [[BrainwashingForTheGreaterGood use mind-control devices to make sure their allies don't forget about the "benefits everyone" part]].

* ''Film/PiratesOfTheCaribbeanAtWorldsEnd'': The vote to decide the Pirate King is resolved by this. Historically, every Pirate Lord has voted for themselves, and so there has never been a Pirate King; during the vote in the film, the same thing happens for every Pirate Lord who casts their vote before Jack Sparrow. Jack, however, wants the Pirate Lords to sail to war, a decision that can only be made by the Pirate King - and since one of the other Pirate Lords has demonstrated her agreement with that course of action, Jack casts ''his'' vote for Elizabeth Swann, giving her two votes to everyone else's single and naming her Pirate King.

* In ''Literature/TheIrregularAtMagicHighSchool'', Tatsuya gives Masaki (a piece of the) weaponry that could effortlessly make him [[OneManArmy a war hero]]. Tatsuya does this because- aside from their country being in danger on multiple fronts- he is currently the target of a media swarm that makes it impossible for him and his fiancee to leave the house. Masaki's new status as a celebrity- which he minds much less than Tatsuya did- diverts the journalists' interest.

* In the anthology of short stories ''Literature/{{Litmus}}'' (literature dramatising and explaining advances in science), author Maggie Gee offers the story "Living With Insects". This deals with the work of real-life biologist Bill Hamilton, who theorised and demonstrated that Nature does not ''have'' to be red in tooth and claw. Hamilton dealt with social insects, and in particular was seeking to resolve issues with "gender-neutral" species that even Darwin admitted could not be resolved according to his concept of evolution. Hamilton not only created a framework for resolving Darwin's enigmas, but he also demonstrated that the social insects offer a new route to evolutionary progress that might be even more efficient than "survival of the fittest" via continual competition. Hamilton suggested the social altruism practiced by ants, bees, etc., offers a co-operative method for societies to evolve and grow for less effort expended--therefore much more efficient. "Hamilton's Law", in biology and zoology, condenses this into '''c < br'''.[[note]] where "c" = "cost expended by the altruist", which is always less than "b", "benefits received by the recipient" especially when multiplied by any number of altruistic transactions going on within a related community - "r". [[/note]]

-->'''Phoebe:''' ''(excitedly)'' Oh, look, look, Joey's on TV! Isn't that great? Hey, my pledge got Joey on TV! Oh, that makes me feel so- [[ExplainExplainOhCrap Oh, no!]]

* Italy declared neutrality at the start of UsefulNotes/WorldWarI. Italian Prime Minister Antonio Salandra called his policy "sacro egoismo" - "sacred self-interest." Italy ended up joining the Allies because they offered more than the Central Powers, and the Allies' unfulfilled promises to Italy were a major factor in them joining the Axis Powers in WWII.

* In ''Fanfic/OneForAllAndEightForTheNinth'', [[Manga/MyHeroAcademia Izuku]] berates Rikiya Yotsubashi, the [[FantasticRacism Quirkist]] owner of Detnerat, over his company's policy of denying services to [[UnSorcerer Quirkless]] people. Other industrialists witness this and realize that Quirkless people (who form 20 percent of the population) represent a large, relatively untapped market, so they begin to work with the few companies that are still largely working to make products for them, which allows them to make a lot of money while getting great publicity.
* ''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/10917821/1/The-questionable-burdens-of-leadership-of-a-troll-Emperor The (Questionable) Burdens of Leadership of a Troll Emperor]]'': Xanna makes sure her citizens are healthy, happy, and prosperous because it makes her empire more prosperous. Oma Desala admits that Xanna and Naruto aren't good people, each being monstrous in their own way, but their actions (fighting the Goa'uld, freeing slaves, uplifting civilizations) do benefit the galaxy as a whole simply because Xanna wants to create the greatest empire the universe has ever seen.
* In ''Fanfic/WhenReasonFails'', there's not much room for selflessness and altruism among Initiates, but they ''are'' willing to help each other, ''for a price''. This price can be as cheap as providing entertainment, like what Shoto gets from Izuku's Cabal in exchange for helping them out, to as expensive as braving a dangerous area to get rare materials in exchange for alchemical drugs.

* ''Literature/JudgeDee'' has a scene where Ma Jong is talking with two casino guards, one of them explaining that the place remains stable and prosperous thanks to the three major merchants (the casino owner, an antiques dealer, and a whorehouse owner) recognizing that it's better to make less money in the short term by working with the other two (if a player loses big, he can always sell off an antique [[ValuesDissonance or a concubine]], if he wins big, he'll want to exchange it for something easier to carry around or [[TrophyWife a more visible status symbol]]) than get rich quick via dishonest dealings.

* In ''Literature/HarryPotterAndTheHalfBloodPrince'', Prof. Slughorn has this as his characterization: being a NiceGuy from the otherwise unsavory and self-interested Slytherin House, he often helps people he thinks would have potential to become great so that he will gain some benefit some way or another later. [[spoiler:This backfired with [[BigBad Tom "Lord Voldemort" Riddle]], to whom he provided information on dark magics such as the Horcrux, and he regards it as MyGreatestFailure.]] However, Slughorn is surprisingly lax with his requests from his old proteges, usually being sports tickets, sweets or such modesties. Granted, he was retired by the start of the series so it's likely he had no real ambition by his age except to enjoy his golden years in comfort (at least until Dumbledore convinces to come out of retirement and return as a professor).
* In the anthology of short stories ''Literature/{{Litmus}}'' (literature dramatising and explaining advances in science) author Maggie Gee offers the story "Living With Insects". This deals with the work of real-life biologist Bill Hamilton, who theorised and demonstrated that Nature does not ''have'' to be red in tooth and claw. Hamilton dealt with social insects, and in particular was seeking to resolve issues with "gender-neutral" species that even Darwin admitted could not be resolved according to his concept of evolution. Hamilton not only created a framework for resolving Darwin's enigmas, but he also demonstrated that the social insects offer a new route to evolutionary progress that might be even more efficient than "survival of the fittest" via continual competition. Hamilton suggested the social altruism practiced by ants, bees, etc., offers a co-operative method for societies to evolve and grow for less effort expended--therefore much more efficient. "Hamilton's Law", in biology and zoology, condenses this into '''c < br'''.[[note]] where "c" = "cost expended by the altruist", which is always less than "b", "benefits received by the recipient" especially when multiplied by any number of altruistic transactions going on within a related community - "r". [[/note]]

* The protagonists of ''Literature/{{Safehold}}'' tend to lampshade those occasions when doing the politically expedient thing coincides with also doing the right thing. Specific examples include providing much-needed food to the civil war-torn Republic of Siddarmark, which also nets them an equally much needed mainland ally, and not assassinating the Earl of Thirsk, which is decided both because he's a WorthyOpponent who deserves better and because removing him presents the risk of someone less willing to oppose the Inquisition replacing him.
* ''Literature/AtlasShrugged'' is a novel about what happens when the Creator class (geniuses, innovators, entrepreneurs) defies this trope, which they realise is a lie that allows the Moocher class (everyone else) to steal value from them. Instead, they choose to 'shrug' the burden of supporting all the worthless people in human society and act completely selfishly for a change, not only allowing the Moocher class to die but speeding up their inevitable demise through acts of sabotage and piracy. This is portrayed as a good moral choice for the Creator-class characters who choose to do this because these particular people are shown to have NoSympathy for the Moochers. Ergo, if these Creators acted to save the Moochers' lives (when they didn't want to) then that would be immoral since it went against their inner drives. Creator/AynRand was quite clear on the point that while helping other people was not immoral ''per se'', it ''was'' if you didn't want to.

* A rather important theme of ''Literature/TheLostFleet'' series, as recently-defrosted HumanPopsicle John Geary struggles against the Alliance Navy's habitual disregard of the laws and customs of war. The Syndicate Worlds treated its prisoners of war poorly even from the beginning, which led to retaliation by the Alliance, [[CycleOfRevenge which led to retaliation by the Syndics]]... rinse and repeat for a century of all-out war. Geary frames his argument for breaking this cycle in terms of this trope and is ultimately proven right: At one point late in the series, a group of his subordinates who were briefly captured by the enemy report that some Syndicate SpaceMarines disobeyed orders to kill them before they could be rescued explicitly in return for Geary having refused to SinkTheLifeboats during a previous engagement.
* In ''Literature/TheIrregularAtMagicHighSchool'', Tatsuya gives Masaki (a piece of the) weaponry that could effortlessly make him [[OneManArmy a war hero]]. Tatsuya does this because- aside from their country being in danger on multiple fronts- he is currently the target of a media swarm that makes it impossible for him and his fiancee to leave the house. Masaki's new status as a celebrity- which he minds much less than Tatsuya did- diverts the journalists' interest.

* In ''Literature/CodexAlera'', this is mentioned word-for-word to be the reason why [[ChronicBackstabbingDisorder Invidia Aquitaine]] makes and maintains her alliance with Isana. The problem is, she's not as enlightened as she thinks she is, and tends to underestimate the intelligence of others. This causes her to betray other people of a number of occasions when she thinks it is in her self-interest to do so, only to find they've predicted it and she's just put herself in a much worse position than if she'd kept her word.
* ''Literature/TheGeniusPrincesGuideToRaisingANationOutOfDebtHeyHowAboutTreason'': Prince Wein is the acting regent of the impoverished kingdom of Natra and his soldiers are technically loyal to his father and the country rather than himself, so he has to be a [[ReasonableAuthorityFigure benevolent ruler]] if he wants to avoid a coup and slowly gain their loyalty. He plans to use their eventual loyalty to convince them to allow the Earthworld Empire to annex Natra, allowing him to retire. He also has to choose the most diplomatic means of solving problems because using too much military force will send his country's budget into the red.

* In the ''Series/StarTrekTheOriginalSeries'' episode "[[Recap/StarTrekS3E14WhomGodsDestroy Whom Gods Destroy]]", the insane Garth tries to convince Kirk and Spock that [[WeCanRuleTogether they should be friends]] (with the implication that the other option would be "or I kill you").
-->'''Spock:''' On what, precisely, is our friendship to be based?\\
'''Garth:''' Upon the firmest of foundations, Mister Spock. Enlightened self-interest.
* In the first season ''Series/BlueBloods'' episode "Officer Down", TheMafia helps out when the NYPD goes on a CopKillerManhunt against a suspect with mafia ties. Grandpa Henry Reagan explains that when he was on the force the five families actually had explicit rules that cops were off-limits because [[PragmaticVillainy dead officers are even worse for business than live ones]].

-->'''Phoebe:''' ''[excitedly]'' Oh, look, look, Joey's on TV! Isn't that great? Hey, my pledge got Joey on TV! Oh, that makes me feel so- [[ExplainExplainOhCrap Oh, no!]]

* ''Series/{{Community}}'' episode "Advanced Gay" has RacistGrandpa Pierce Hawthorne embrace the fact that Hawthorne Wipes has become an icon in the gay community. Mostly because of the increased profits.

* ''Series/TheCrowdedRoom'': Rya admits her aid to Danny also helps herself, as she could prove DID is a real disorder, getting grant money for research doing so, even using the term.

* ''VideoGame/BioShock'' doesn't mention the concept by name, but deals with it (unsurprisingly, as it's largely a critique of Objectivism, mentioned under Literature and Real Life). Like Ayn Rand, Andrew Ryan seems to dismiss the notion offhand, refusing to contract any kind of social benefits or safety nets in Rapture. On the other hand, gangster Frank Fontaine builds poorhouses and other amenities for the poverty-stricken inhabitants of the city, and consequently when he decides to rise up against Ryan, he's got a veritable army on his side. Both of these cynical viewpoints are counterbalanced by Dr. Tenenbaum, who ''genuinely'' wants to help both the victims of Rapture.

* In ''Anime/PuellaMagiMadokaMagica'', most of the Puella Magis who made a wish with Kyubey think of this when they make their wish: they wished for someone to prosper so that they will somehow benefit from it as well. The common source of despair in this series is that they often ''don't'' get those benefits in the end.

* In ''TabletopGame/MagicTheGathering'' selfishness is Black's main ideological point. Quite a few characters have realised their self-interest can be best achieved with cooperation, such as Liliana Vess during her tenure in the Gatewatch or Sorin Markov in the many crises he ended up saddled with. This can also show up in Blue and Green, the former being the color most associated with rationality (so for instance even the most dispassionate like Amonkhet's Kefnet see the benefits of protecting others) and the latter with the greater picture (like Vivien Reid helping humanity and civilisation even if she otherwise couldn't be glader if they died).

** Commissar Cain [[note]]'''HERO OF THE IMPERIUM!'''[[/note]] claims that this is why he treats his soldiers with respect and at least appears to care for their lives: Commissars that are too unpopular and maintain order with BLAM-ings tend to find themselves on the wrong end of lasguns [[TheDogBitesBack carried by the people they terrorized]]. Of course, whether he's being coldly pragmatic or a HumbleHero is all up for debate.

* In the AlternateHistory of ''Series/QueenCharlotteABridgertonStory'', Princess Augusta singlehandedly desegregates the high society of Georgian England by ennobling people or color from good families...not because she cares about racial equality, but because it will allow the crown to save face after George marries a woman they didn't realize was half-Black.

* In ''Literature/CodexAlera'', this is mentioned word-for-word to be the reason why [[ChronicBackstabbingDisorder Invidia Aquitaine]] makes and maintains her alliance with Isana. The problem is, she's not as enlightened as she thinks she is, and tends to underestimate the intelligence of others. This causes her to betray other people on a number of occasions when she thinks it is in her self-interest to do so, only to find they've predicted it and she's just put herself in a much worse position than if she'd kept her word.