The psychological egoist feels that in everything humans do, they are motivated internally by self-interest. The argument made by the psychological egoist was that since the unselfish actions always produce self-satisfaction, these actions should then be considered selfish.
Rachels’ reply to this argument questioned the reasoning behind the belief that is someone acts in a way that helps others, they are automatically selfish. He stated that it is the unselfish man who gets self-satisfaction from helping others, and that the selfish man does not. (14) He compares this to the story of Abraham Lincoln, in which he “got peace of mind” from saving the pigs. In this comparison, he asks whether Lincoln is selfish for saving them, or whether he
Rachels’ reply to this argument questioned the reasoning behind the belief that is someone acts in a way that helps others, they are automatically selfish. He stated that it is the unselfish man who gets self-satisfaction from helping others, and that the selfish man does not. (14) He compares this to the story of Abraham Lincoln, in which he “got peace of mind” from saving the pigs. In this comparison, he asks whether Lincoln is selfish for saving them, or whether he