Module 4: Ethical Egoism

Ethical Egoism insists what in regards to others?

the benefit to others is not what makes act right; the act is right because it benefits you

General Lesson About the Nature of Desire

we want all sorts of things and because we desire these things, we may derive satisfaction from getting them BUT the object of our desire is not typically the feeling of satisfaction (we simply want the thing we were originally after)

What did Dale Carnegie say say about Psychological Egoism?

"Every act you have ever performed since the day you were born was performed because you wanted something" - no matter if an action is altruistic or egoistic, the person is merely doing what he or she most wants to do

Who was Raoul Wallenberg, and what did he do?

- businessman living in Sweden during WWII (good place to live because it was neutral) - Left Sweden during the war for Hungary (Nazis-controlled) Mission to save Jewish lives - persuaded the Hungarian government to halt Jewish deportations (until a Nazi puppet was put in power) - issued "Swedish Protective Passes" - helped many Jews hide (if discovered he would stand between them and the Nazis) - at the end of the war, Wallenberg stayed in Hungary - he disappeared (believed to have been killed by Soviets - body never found -officially declared dead in 2016 by Swedish government

Internal Criticism of Ethical Egoism

- cannot handle conflicts of interest (Egoist Response = only troubling if we believe that ethics must resolve conflicts such that all can live together harmoniously) - unacceptably arbitrary - me vs. everyone else

What does Ethical Egoism not claim?

- does not require that we consider our interest and the interests of others - does not say we should avoid helping others (sometimes your interests will coincide with the well-being of others so you'll help yourself by helping others.. ex talking a teacher out of giving you an assignment) - does not imply that pursuing our interests is always what we want to do

Response to Ayn Rand's Argument

- false dichotomy: individual life has all value (egoism) or individual life has no value (altruism) - we do not have to help exclusively to one extreme or the other, can hold a position in between

The Argument that Ethical Egoism is Unacceptably Arbitrary

- may refute Ethical Egoism - tries to explain why the interests of these people should matter to us

Principle of Equal Treatment

we should treat people in the same way unless there is a good reason not to

Examples Where Ethical Egoism Would Have to Accept Wicked Acts...

- pharmacist filled prescriptions for cancer patients using watered down drugs to make more money - paramedic gave patients injections of sterile water rather than morphine to sell the morphine and make money - parents fed their baby acid to fake a lawsuit against a formula company - male nurse raped two unconscious patients - 73 year old man locked his daughter in the cellar for 24 years and fathered 7 kids against her will - 60 year old man was in big time debt and shot his letter carrier because he thought federal prison would be better than being homeless

Psychological Egoism: To state that individuals are driven by self-interest does not __1__

- prove it to be the case

Examples of discrimination

- racism - ant-seminism - nationalism - sexism -etc

Why is Altruism self-defeating?

- we know our needs well, but we only know the needs of others imperfectly - looking out for others is an intrusion of people's privacy - "charity" is degrading to others (disrespects ones dignity)

Ethical Egoism violates __1__ by dividing the world into two groups of people: __2__ and __3__

1 - Principle of Equal Treatment 2 - one's self 3 - everyone else

What did Lincoln say to the man in the mud coach after he saved the pigs?

...that was the very essence of selfishness. I should have had no peace of mind all day had I gone on and left that suffering old sow worrying over those pigs. I did it to get peace of mind...

If we want to do what is best for people, we SHOULD NOT __1__. Instead, if each person __2__, everyone would be better off

1 - adopt so-called altruistic ways 2 - looks after his or her own best interests

Ayn Rand: "If a man accepts the ethics of __1__, his first concern is not how to __2__ but how to __3__."

1 - altruism 2- live his life 3 - sacrifice it

Ethical Egoism is usually presented as __1__ Common Sense Morality, but it is possible to interpret it as __2__ it.

1 - challenging 2 - supporting it

There is a family of moral views that have this in common... they divide people into groups and say the interests of some groups __1__ than the interests of other groups

1 - count more

Ayn Rand: "Rather than working to build and sustain their own lives, they __1__ off those who do.

1 - leech Ayn Rand saw those who promote altruism as being parasites

Ethical Egoism says that a person ought to do what really is in his or her own best interests over the __1__ not the __2__

1 - longterm 2 - short term endorses selfishness not foolishness

Ethical Egoists would say that all these duties (rules we choose to obey) spring from one __1__.

1 - one fundamental principle of self-interest

We should care about __1__ because their needs and desires are comparable to our own.

1 - other people

Psychological Egoism takes any __1__ and sees if it is possible to __2__

1 - virtue or apparently selfless act 2 - reinterpret it in terms of self-interest

Psychological Egoism is as much a theory about __1__ as it is a theory of __2__

1 - who we are as human beings 2 - how we ought to act

Responses to the Positive Argument for Ethical Egoism

1. At best Ethical Egoism proves that it is usually or mostly to one's advantage to follow certain moral principles. 2. Does not really prove that the only or most basic reason for doing something is Egoism

The Case for Psychological Egoism: Responses to Argument 2 (We do only that which makes us feel good.)

1. deriving satisfaction is not equal to acting selfishly 2. Why would someone derive satisfaction from helping others? BECAUSE you are the kind of person who cares about what happens to others. If you were doing action for personal prestige, you would not derive satisfaction from the action - but it is already assumed that you are deriving satisfaction from the action.

Each year millions of people die from health problems brought on my __1__. Often those who die are __2__.

1. malnutrition 2. children

Common Sense Morality: Ethical Egoism does not challenge __1__; it only tries to __2__.

1. ordinary morality 2. explain and sympathize it

Confusions by Advocates of Psychological Egoism

1. self-interest does not equal selfish 2. self-interested behavior does not equal pleasurable behavior 3. concern for one's well-being is incompatible with a concern for others

Attraction of Psychological Egoism

1. theoretical simplicity (common in economic theory) 2. it is irrefutable - cynical view of human nature - pleasing if a single factor could explain all human behavior

About how many children under the age of five die from preventable causes every day? About how many a year?

15,800 5.9 million

Two Points about the Principle of Equal Treatment

1st - treating people in the same way does not always mean ensuring the same outcome for them (ex. Vietnam war draft) 2nd - concerns the scope of the principle (what situations it applies to) ex: giving a ticket to a friend, Trump

"The Righteous among the nations"

22,000 Gentiles who risked their lives to save Jews named this by the Israeli government

Oseola McCarty

87 year old African American woman saved money for 75 years from working as a maid (never owned a car, walked over a mile to the grocery store) gave $150,000 to a scholarship fund at USM

Ethical Egoism is associated with who more than any other 20th-century writer?

Ayn Rand

External Criticism of Ethical Egoism

Egoism justifies what we take to be wicked acts. - not an objection that Egoism will find compelling - Egoist is not concerned with justifying our current moral intuitions

Ethical Egoism: Positive Argument

Ethical Egoism is compatible with Common Sense Morality; Ethical Egoism is a way of organizing a number of moral principles (simplifying principle akin to a scientific theory e=mc^2

Common Sense Morality

If a certain action would benefit (or harm) other people, then that is a reason why we should (or should not) perform that action - one cannot be blamed for attending to their own basic needs, but the needs of others are important to promote ones own interests in addition to the interests of others says one's own interests and the interests of others are important

Why if Psychological Egoism was true would moral philosophy be pointless?

If people are going to behave selfishly no matter what, then there is no point in discussing what they ought to be doing.

Why should we care about starving children?

If we can find no relevant difference between us and them, then we must admit that if our needs should be met, then so should theirs

What is the deepest reason why our morality must recognize the needs of others?

If we can find no relevant difference between us and then, then we must admit that if our needs should be met, then so should theirs

The Case for Psychological Egoism: Response to Argument 1 (We always do what we want.)

It is clearly false that we only do things we want to do. Sometimes we do things because we feel obligated or as a self-sacrifice.

In accessing whether an action is self-interested, the issue is not what?

NOT whether the action is based on desire the issue is what kind of desire is it based on (if you only care about yourself and give no thought to others it would be self-interested but if you want others to be happy then your motive is altruistic)

We always do what we want: Example

Raoul Wallenberg wanted to go to Hungary more than he wanted to remain in Sweden Why be praised for altruism when he was merely doing what he wanted to do?

What are the problems with Psychological Egoism?

The fact that it is possible to reinterpret a virtue/selfless act as being self-interested does not make it true. (The fact that such a reinterpretation exists does not make it true) The strength of being irrefutable is also its weakness. It lacks the general principle of being falsifiable (untestable). Once it is accepted that everyone acts from self-interest, every action can be interpreted as self-interested

Ethical Egoism: Ayn Rand's Argument

To value the individual, we cannot expect them to sacrifice themselves for others - a person's life is of supreme importance. - altruism regards the life of the individual as something one must be ready to sacrifice for others - therefore, altruism does not take seriously the value of the human individual - Ethical Egoism allows each person to value his or her own life as being of ultimate value - therefore, Ethical Egoism is the philosophy we ought to accept

We do only that which makes us feel good: Wallenberg Example

Wallenbergs friends say before he left for Hungary he was depressed and felt life his life wasn't amounting to much - SO he did this to become a heroic figure

The Case for Psychological Egoism: Argument 1

We always do what we want. People base their actions on their desires and that makes it in their own best interest People are always motivated by what they want. What one wants is in their own self-interest. This can be said about any alleged act of kindness. Therefore, we can conclude that Psychological Egoism must be true

The Case for Psychological Egoism: Argument 2

We do only that which makes us feel good. All so called unselfish acts produce a feeling of self-satisfaction and this is the actual reason why we engage in the unselfish act.

Example of Having No Self-Interested Motives

Wesley Autry = 50 yr old construction worker saved a man that fell into the train tracks (NYC) - five train cars passed over them - they both survived everything happened so quick he saved the man without giving any thought to his own self interest

What did Ayn Rand regard the "ethics of altruism" as

a totally destructive idea for society and individuals - altruism in her opinion leads to a denial of the value of the individual - thinks altruism tells people that their lives are merely something to be sacrificed

What did Abraham Lincoln believe?

all men were prompted by selfishness in doing good

Warren Buffet

businessman gave $37 billion to Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to promote global health and education

Thomas Hobbes suggested that the principle of Ethical Egoism leads to the Golden Rule. What is the Golden Rule?

do unto other so that others will be more likely to do unto us

Examples of Common Sense Morality

duty not to harm others - if we harm others, they wont mind harming us; so, it is in our best interest to not harm others duty not to lie - if we lie, we will have a bad reputation, people will not trust us, be dishonest back to us etc.; so it is in our best interest to be honest duty to keep our promises - it is in our advantage to have mutually beneficial arrangements to others; to benefit, we need to be able to rely on each others word which requires us to keep promises; so, it is in our best interest to keep promises we make

Psychological Egoism MAIN FLAW

even if someone has a self-interested motive it doesn't mean that he did not have benevolent motives as well

Ethical Egoism: CONCLUSION

fails as a moral theory

We do only that which makes us feel good: Zell Kravinsky Example

gave up his fortune and kidneys parents never gave him much praise so he always was trying to do things they would admire even said that he thinks of donations as a treat to himself

Altruism Examples

give blood build homeless shelters volunteer at hospitals read to the blind give money to worthy causes

Psychological Egoism makes a claim about what?

human nature or the way things are

Trouble with the Altruism being Self-Defeating Argument

it is not really an argument for Ethical Egoism at all - the argument says: we ought to do whatever will best promote everyone's interests; the best way to promote everyone's interest is for each of us to pursue our own interests exclusively; therefore, each of us should pursue our own interests exclusively if you accept this you are not an Ethical Egoist. You may behave like one, but your ultimate purpose is benevolence (not self-interest) Ironically it makes you an altruist

Good feelings we may receive from doing good deeds is ...

merely a by-product of the good deed

Rand suggests that there is a __1__ basis for Ethical Egoism.

metaphysical

Ethical Egoism makes a claim about what?

morality or about the way things should be

Psychological Egoism CONCLUSION

not a credible theory

What does Ayn Rand mean by "sacrificing one's life"?

not necessarily dying a person's life consists of projects undertaken and good earned and created **sacrificing ones life = demand that a person abandon his projects and give up his good

Zell Kravinsky

real estate investor gave entire $45 million fortune to charity donated one of his kidneys to a stranger

Examples of Actions Ethical Egoism Would Frown Upon

smoking cigarettes betting all ones money at the racetrack meth labs in people's basements

Unselfish behavior is connected to what?

some type of benefit for the person who does it

Why is Psychological Egoism flawed?

sometimes we do things because we feel we ought to not because we want to ex. writing gma a letter because you promised your parents you would (not because you want to) ... you write the letter as a matter of conscience (don't want to break a promise ex. maybe Wallenberg wanted to stay in Sweden but let like he had to go to Hungary to save lives

We do only that which makes us feel good: Mother Theresa Example

spent her life working amount the poor but she believed she would be rewarded in Heaven

Ethical Egoism

the normative ethical theory that holds that each person ought to pursue his or her own self-interest; our duty is to ourselves each person ought to pursue his or her own self-interest exclusively; our only duty is to do what is best for ourselves (other people matter only is they can benefit us) Morality of Selfishness

Psychological Egoism

the theory that every human action is motivated by self-interest each person does in fact pursue his or her own self-interest exclusively theory of psychology (not philosophy)

Why do we let people die of hunger when we could save them?

we rarely think about it (people starving at far away from us ad scattered)

Choosing to do something does not imply ...

wanting to do something

What is the underlying assumption of most morality? What does Ethical Egoism say?

we have "natural duties" to help others simply because they are people who could be helped or harmed by what we do - Ethical Egoism holds that we have NO natural duties to others