ch 5 Egoism

Psych-Ego Challenge

A bigger problem for psychological egoism is that some behavior does not seem to be explained by self-regarding desires.

Psychological Egoism

Claims that each person has but one ultimate aim: his own welfare.

Ethical Egoism

Claims that it is necessary and sufficient for an action to be morally right that it maximize one's self-interest.

Derivation from Economic Theory

Even if an economic system worked well, would this prove that morality ought to be modeled on it? Is not the moral life broader than the economic life? For example, are all human relations economic relations?

Universal Ethical Egoism

Everyone ought to look out for and seek only their own best interests. As in the individual form, in this second version, people ought to help others only when and to the extent that it is in their own best interest to do so.

Conformity to Commonsense Morality

For example, doesn't it assume that anything is all right as long as it serves an individual's best interests? Torturing human beings or animals would be permitted so long as this served one's interests. Morality and honesty would have no purpose.

Derivation from Economic Theory 2

Furthermore, the argument that everyone ought to seek his or her own best interest because this contributes to the general well-being is not ethical egoism at all.

Individual Ethical Egoism:

I ought to look out only for my own interests. I ought to be concerned about others only to the extent that this concern also contributes to my own interests.

Grounding in Psychological Egoism

If people were always motivated by their own interests, then would this be a good reason to hold that they ought to be so motivated?

Consistency or Coherence

Universal ethical egoism is possibly inconsistent or incoherent. According to this version of ethical egoism, everyone ought to seek their own interests. Wouldn't this mean that we would want our own interests and at the same time allow that others serve their interests?

Ayn Rand

argued that it is both irrational and immoral to act against ones own self interests.

Psychological egoism is a descriptive term

because It tells us what is but not what ought to be.

Rational egoism

claims that it is necessary and sufficient for an action to be rational that it maximize one's self-interest.