Ethical Reasoning: Chapter 5: Ethical Egoism

The theory that to determine right action, you must see if an act falls under a rule that if consistently followed would maximize your self-interest.

Rule-egoism

But if we experience satisfaction in performing an action, that does not show that our goal in performing the action is what?

Satisfaction

Other egoistic notions of the greatest good include what?

Self-actualization (fulfilling one's potential), security and material success, satisfaction of desires, acquisition of power, and the experience of happiness

Because we are not able to perform an action except out of self-interest )the claim of psychological egoism), we are not morally obligated to perform an action unless motivated by what?

Self-interest

Our actions, mo matter how we characterize them, are all about what?

Self-interest

Advancing the interests of others is part of this moral equation only if ti helps one's own goo. Yet this extreme self-interest is not necessarily what?

Selfishness

Probably the most serious charge against ethical egoism is that it discriminates against people in the same fashion. It arbitrarily treats the interests of one people (oneself) as more important than the interests of all others (the rest of the world)-even though there is no morally relevant difference between the two. True/False?

True

Recall that an important first step in evaluating a moral theory (or any other kind of theory) is to determine if it meets the minimum requirement of coherence, or internal consistency. True/False?

True

Rule-egoism says to determine right action, you must see if an act falls under a rule that if consistently followed would maximize your self-interest. True/False?

True

Self-interested acts promote one's own interests but not necessarily to the detriment of others. True/False?

True

Selfish acts acts advance one's own interests regardless of how others are affected. True/False?

True

Sometimes committing a wicked act really does promote one's own welfare. True/False?

True

The Greek philosopher Epicurus (341-270 B.C.E.), a famous ethical egoist from whose name we derive the words epicure and epicurean, gave a hedonist answer: The greatest good is pleasure, and the greatest evil, pain. True/False?

True

The failure of ethical egoism to treat equals equally seems serious in the theory. It conflicts with a major component of our existence. For many critics, this single defect is enough to reject the theory. True/False?

True

The moral life is lived with the wider world in mind. True/False?

True

We are morally obligated to do only what our self-interest motivates us to do. True/False?

True

We tend to view selfish or flagrantly self-interested behavior as wicked, or at least troubling. True/False?

True

The primary argument for ethical egoism depends on a scientific theory known as _______________ _______________.

Psychological egoism

The scientific view that the motive for all our actions is self-interest.

Psychological egoism

The view that the motive for all our actions is self-interest.

Psychological egoism

The theory that to determine right action, you must apply the egoistic principle to individual acts.

Act-egoism

Ethical egoism comes in two forms: one applies to the doctrine to individual ____________ and one to relevant ______________.

Acts; rules

You should not murder or steal, for example, because it might encourage others to do the same to you or it might undermine trust, security, or cooperation in society, which would not be in your best interests. For theses reasons you should obey the laws or the rules of ___________________ _________________ (as the rule-egoist might do).

Conventional morality

Some critics of ____________________ ____________________ have brought the charge of logical or practical inconsistency against the theory.

Ethical egoism

________________ __________________ says that one's only moral duty is to promote the most favorable balance of good over evil for oneself.

Ethical egoism

Self-love is good. True/False?

False - self-love is bad

But people also seem to do things that are motivated by self-interest. True/False?

False- people also seem to things that are not motivated by self-interest

We desire something other than satisfaction and then experience satisfaction as a result of what?

Getting what we desired

The duty of a what is to maximize pleasure for oneself?

Good ethical egoist

One aspect of morality is so fundamental that we may plausibly view it as a basic fact of the moral life: ____________________ ____________________, or ____________________ ________________ _______________.

Moral impartiality, or treating equals equally

Psychological Egosim

The scientific view that the motive for all our actions is self-interest.

Act-Egoism

The theory that to determine right action, you must apply the egoistic principle to individual acts.

Rule-Egoism

The theory that to determine right action, you must see if an act falls under a rule that if consistently followed would maximize your self-interest.

Psychological Egoism

The view that the motive for all our actions is self-interest.

Act-egoism says that to determine right, you must apply the egoistic principle to individual acts. True/False?

True

All our actions-including seemingly altruistic ones-are performed to gain some benefit our selves. This argument, however, is fare conclusive. Sometimes people o altruistic acts because doing so is in their best interest. True/False?

True

Because we are not able to prevent a hurricane from blasting across a coastal city, we are not morally obligated to prevent it. True/False?

True

Each person must put his or her own welfare first. True/False?

True

Ethical egoism is the theory that the right action is the one that advances one's own best interests. True/False?

True