Kat:

I will have to defer to yer wisdom on spiritual matters, where the boundaries of self-concern are as little more permeable.

On the mortal plane, where "self-interest" (enlightened or otherwise) is a driving force, it doesn't work because it chokes the engine of market renewal and growth, undermines innovation and demotivates the able, while motivating and elevating the inept.

Come to think, of it our socialized educational programs do that too. As do our capitalist management cultures. Maybe it's just a biped thing...