Psychological Egoism In The United States

Improved Essays
In many ways, every person does indeed have a motive. Whether it is positive or negative, the thought process that determines action does not stop to think whether it’s ethical or unethical. There are two distinctive traits from the term egoism. First, psychological egoism is the assessment that all people, with no exception, base their actions by first seeking their own self-interest. I believe this is true, but in the same defense; there are occasionally some objections to my opinions. There is a fine line in what you are supposed to do, and what you ought to do. Prime example, the United States is an exceptional country. We are often viewed to the rest of the world as wealthy, independent, successful country. There are other nations

Related Documents

  • Decent Essays

    Ego is defined as a person’s sense of self-esteem or self-importance. Humans with an egocentric nature tend to believe they are better than the society around themselves, thus they have a lack of respect and empathy for others thoughts and beliefs. In society, the word ego has a negative connotation, and is seen as the root of many problems in human interactions.…

    • 62 Words
    • 1 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Superior Essays

    In this essay, I will defend psychological egoism as the most probable explanation for moral choice and motivation. I hold psychological egoism to be “the view that all men are selfish in everything that they do, that is, that the only motive from which anyone ever acts is self-interest” (Rachels 233). Since every action is moved by a desire to be satisfied, even in supposedly altruistic acts, one acts on a desire to satisfy one’s desire, so that supposedly altruistic acts are not actually altruistic. James Rachels, to whom my defining of psychological egoism is attributed, counters psychological egoism as incorrect moral skepticism. In the form of a Platonic dialogue, I will present, if successful, the impossibility for any ‘moral’ conduct beyond psychological egoism, counteracting Rachels own refutation in his essay, “Egoism and Moral Scepticism.”…

    • 2217 Words
    • 9 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Egoism In Steve Jobs

    • 359 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Good Morning Class, Egoism is necessary to secure our station at the top of the food chain. It can be dirty and despicable and rarely will someone claim it as core attribute. However, without it, societal evolution would remain stagnant. Technology is an example of how egotism catapulted the world into multifaceted innovation. Steve Jobs and Bill Gates were driven by egotism, “I want to make this work” or something similar was likely part of their conversations.…

    • 359 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Narcissism is defined as excessive interest in one’s self-image and physical appearance. Christopher Lasch defined “the culture of narcissism” with seven characteristics, three of which are well reflected through Ann Beattie’s writing. These characteristics are that “they demand love and commitment from others, but they won’t give it”, “they feel their lives are entirely out of control, that they lack power and can’t be expected to take responsibility for the consequences of their actions” and “their dominant moods are anger and self-pity.” In “Sunshine and Shadow”, Jake is is expecting love from Laura Ann and Mary; however he does not want to give either of them all his affection. Throughout the movie Chilly Scenes of Winter, Charles waits…

    • 951 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The Myth of Individualism draws readers in with a captivating introduction through a controversial story about an individualist who kills to prove a point. This became a constant throughout the book, having examples used from topics that related to pop culture, politics and historical events to say the American values of individualism, mediocrity and self-sufficiency is overall fabricated. Therefore, American values are effected by the social structures on our lives which prove to be the thesis for Callero’s book. The book offers a weak first chapter with a strong fourth chapter that all fits into the message of Callero’s bestselling book. Callero’s book offered a first chapter that was the weakest out of the 214 paged body of work.…

    • 889 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    “Good Country People” illustrates that dismissing sin instead of accepting it leads to great loss. Hulga believes she is much more intelligent and cultured than her mother and those around her, especially because of her choice to be atheistic. When a good country Bible salesperson, Pointer, arrives, she believes she can easily trick and corrupt him, yet even when he tricks her, she attempts to reaffirm her spiritual position by criticizing his, stating “‘you’re a fine Christian! You’re just like them all - say one thing and do another. You’re a perfect Christian” (184).…

    • 883 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Decent Essays

    Ethical egoism is the idea that people have moral obligations only to themselves and that they ought to pursue their own ends exclusively. An ethical egoist would say that one has no duty to help others in need unless doing so happens to coincide with one's own needs. Because ethical egoism prescribes actions, it is distinct from psychological egoism (discussed in the previous selection by Joel Feinberg), which is a descriptive claim about the nature of people's motivations. Rachels provides several arguments both for and against ethical egoism. The first argument for ethical egoism is that we actually harm other people by looking out for their interests.…

    • 633 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Improved Essays

    I most certainly believe that corruption is a problem in the United States. Corruption exists within the Judicial System, Law Enforcement, the Government, and in business, to name a few. My beliefs stem from personal knowledge, as well as stories reported in the news. I do not wish to elaborate on my personal knowledge, however, I will comment on events in the news. For example, Enron bribed foreign governments in order to win contracts abroad, and Arthur Andersen shredded documents associated with Enron once an inquiry was initiated by the SEC (Securities and Exchange Commission).…

    • 566 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Egoism And Mass Shootings

    • 1439 Words
    • 6 Pages

    Humans are motivated by what is called psychological egoism, we are always motivated by what we perceive to be in our own self-interest, and it is the reason behind many of our everyday interactions and choices we make. However, what influences interactions we never hope to have, and decisions we never hope to make, such as deadly mass shootings? Was it a form of free will, or was it a result of psychiatric disorders such as PTSD or antisocial personality disorder, or was it the unleashing their anger, such as the rage and discrimination that they might have dealt with throughout their lives. The recent attacks on police forces were not only influenced by the recent attacks of black men but also as a result of PSTD as both attackers were being…

    • 1439 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    In the critique “Egoism and Altruism,” Louis P. Pojman strongly rejects the idea of Ayn Rand that everyone should have and egoist morality by explaining the “false dilemma” created between egoism and altruism. He explains that her idea of egoism stating that she believes “selfishness is a virtue and altruism is a vice.” He argues that while some egoist traits are morally necessary, such as self-love and self-interest, they should not be brought about or acted upon at the cost of someone else’s happiness. The idea that one ought to “love thy neighbor as yourself” means to treat everyone with the same respect and dignity that you treat yourself with, not to harm a stranger for your own happiness or joy. He argues against Rand’s theory by stating…

    • 328 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    In “Of the System of Man’s Free Agency” D’Holbach explains his argument that human action is determined by the laws of nature. He proposes that humans are part of the natural world and therefore governed by necessary laws, so they have no free will. On this essay I will argue that D’Holbach’s argument on motive is not a good one; I will explain the argument, present why do I think the argument fails and consider ways to defend the argument from my own attack. D’Holbach’s Argument D’Holbach concedes that “To be undeceived on the system of his free agency, man has simply to recur to the motive by which his will is determined; he will always find this motive is out of his own control. It is said: that in consequence of an idea to which the mind gives birth, man acts freely if he encounters no obstacle”.…

    • 1171 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Superior Essays

    The theory of ethical egoism would say “The morally right act, for any particular situation, is the act that will produce the greatest amount of utility for oneself” as quoted from the book Ethical Choices (Burnor & Raley, 2013 pg.100). Ethical egoism would also make the argument that the theory is not as selfish as it may seem there is nothing that prohibits someone from helping another person out, as long as the action produces utility for the person that is completing the action (Burnor & Raley, 2013 pg.100). According to ethical egoism their theory shows a great deal of selflessness and focuses on what most people would consider morally acceptable. Ethical egoists claim that their theory is selfless because we can still help people as long as the action supports our own interest. Kant has an idea that the morally correct action is the thought of moral duty.…

    • 1310 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Ethics Midterm Question 1 Egoism can be defined as a person’s tendency to act or decide on moral issues solely based on an exaggerated concern of selfishness. In the criminal justice system, egoism can certainly lead to breaches of ethical behavior as an egoist person acts by simply overlooking anyone else’s needs. Some authorities who may be willing to act immorally and although they are aware that their actions are unethical, they would only want to satisfy their self interest needs as motivation for their behavior. The utilitarianism theory would be the opposite of the term egoism as this ethical standard focuses on actions that will positively affect most people, not only an individual. In other words, problems caused by egoism in the justice…

    • 990 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Egoism: Egoism is the ethical viewpoint that looks only for value as it pertains to you. This value system literally states that it is best to be selfish and only look out for what is good for you. The idea behind egoism is that if everyone acts only for their best interest, then the world becomes a better and more relatable place to live in. From this viewpoint, it is better to extend our lives using any means necessary than to do anything else.…

    • 924 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Firstly, ethical egoism states that an individual should always act in their own best interest. Ethical egoism is based on the belief that people should act in a way that brings maximum benefits to the individual in making a decision. It also states that the behavior of the individual is to maximize their own self interest and effect on other people is of much less consequences. For instance, those government officials such as LTA officers receives bribe instead of charging the motorist for over speeding or drinking and driving just for their own benefits. They use the same money to buy the lunch or gifts for their family members.…

    • 2078 Words
    • 9 Pages
    Superior Essays