Strongly , strongly disagree . Any and every possible situation in the Universe boils down to interactions between four fundamental forces , and that ' s about as simple as it gets . Any of the billions of identified chemical compounds can be broken down into a small handful of elementary particles . Simplistic and accurate are entirely separate concepts with no bearing on one another . As for the topic at hand simply put , all action is inherently selfish because the brain has to generate its own motivation . Another person ' s brain isn ' t directly affecting yours , sending signals to cause you to act . No , your brain has to incentivize itself , either by rewarding you with the warm and fuzzies if you act , or by punishing you with guilt if you don ' t . There ' s an incredibly clear advantage in being social animals . It benefits us to help others , and we simply wouldn ' t if it didn ' t . There ' s no deeper meaning . It ' s just evolutionary tools , and still striving just to activate that reward center .