Egoism, Self-Interest, and Altruism

Inconsistent Outcomes Argument

Ethical Egoism fails to meet a necessary condition of morality- being a guide to action

Psychological Egoism

It is like advising people to do inconsistent things based on incompatible desires

The Argument from Counter intuitive consequences

The Problem of Future Generations

There is no obligation to preserve scarce natural resources for future generations

Ethical egoism states that it is morally wrong to do an act, if that act produces no benefit for oneself

We always do that act that we perceive to be in our own best self-interest

We are only motivated by by what we believe will promote our interests

Arguments Against Ethical Egoism

The Publicity Argument

The Paradox of Ethical Egoism

Could the egoist have friends?

An egoist cannot publicly advertise his egoistic project, without harming that very project

Supposing deep friendship is part of the goal of happiness, wouldn't the egoist have to, to some degree, act altruistically in serving the other persons interests

Ethical Egoism

Everyone ought always to do those acts that will best serve his or her own best self-interest

Rightness and wrongness of our conduct depends on us fulfilling our self-interest

(The chapter with a record breaking amount of arguments)

Egoism, Self Interest, and Altruism

The Argument from Strict Psychological Egoism

1) We all seek to maximize our own self interest

2) If one cannot do an act, one has no obligation to do the act

3) Altruistic acts involve putting other people's interests ahead of our own

4) But, Altruism contradicts psychological egoism and so is impossible

5) Therefore, altruistic acts are never morally obligatory

Smith's Economic Argument

Individual self-interest in a competitive marketplace produces a state of optimal goodness for society at large

The Argument From Self-Satisfaction

Daniel McAuliffe

Competition -> Better product -> lower price than competitor

S. Everyone is an egoist because everyone always tries to do what will bring him or her satisfaction

S2. We all do the act that we most want to do, and as a consequence, we are satisfied by the success of carrying out the act

S3. We always try to do what we most want to do and, as a consequence of success in carrying out the act, experience satisfaction

Arguments for Ethical Egoism

Rand's Argument

Selfishness is a virtue, and altruism is a vice

Altruism- Any action taken for the benefit of others is good, and any action for one's own benefit is evil. Thus, the beneficiary of an action is the only criterion of moral value- so long as the recipient is anyone but oneself, anything goes

Arguments for Psychological Egoism

Hobbes's Argument

Ethics of Altruism is incompatible with the goal of happiness

State of Nature:

Selfishness forces us into chaos, and selfishness forces us to solve the problem through mutually agreed on moral codes (Social Contract Theory)

The Argument from Self-Deception

Sometimes we are self-deceived about our motivation, but whenever we overcome self-deception and really look deep into out motivational schemes, we find selfishness

Evolution

We are essentially gene-perpetuating machines

Therefore, morality is simply an evolutionary strategy for gene replicating