Psychological Egoism, Selfishness, And Human Behavior

This paper first defines the terms psychological egoism, selfishness, and self-interest, then proceeds to explain that psychological egoism is appealing because it provides an excuse to act negatively toward others, people doubt their own motives, and it provides an excuse for not trying to help society. These three points each have an example. After that, an objection will be raised against psychological egoism, but it will be met with counter arguments. In this paper, I argue that psychological egoism is a true theory that describes human behavior.
Psychological egoism is the descriptive theory that asserts that people are selfish and they cannot do anything unselfishly. People will always pursue their own self-interests, no matter …show more content…
For example, let Smith be someone who donated his time and money to help victims of Hurricane Harvey by going to Texas to help distribute food and water to displaced persons. Smith may have decided to contribute his resources with a selfless motive of helping those who cannot help themselves in mind. He may have believed, as he decided to go help Texas, that he was acting out of selflessness. Smith saw the destruction caused by the hurricane and the people affected by the destruction, and thus, felt a desire to help those in need. Upon returning home though, Smith reflected on the motives that prompted his decision to help. As he did this, he may have found that there were deeper, selfish motives that prompted him to act. Possible examples of selfish motives that one may not be consciously aware of include wanting to fulfill the desire to help, gaining recognition and fame, or gaining a warm glow, et cetera. Smith may then believe that because he always finds ulterior motives in his own actions, everybody always must have selfish ulterior motives, and so, Smith believes in the psychological egoist