Example Of Ethical Egoism

Superior Essays
In the realm of normative ethical theories there are many choices that can best represent one’s own personal belief structure. The one that best suits my personal thought process and belief structure is Egoism. When I say “I am an egoist” I automatically know what the majority of people will think, and that is “how selfish of you to think only of yourself”? When most people hear the word egoist it is automatically associated to have an extremely negative meaning about a person being a selfish person. Ethical egoist should not be confused with someone who is selfish, since this is not the traits of the egoist. The egoist believes that moral decisions should be made to benefit self-interest, meaning that when faced with a moral dilemma the egoist needs to consider which of their options will protect, benefit, and or serve their own …show more content…
You want good grades you have to apply yourself, and the end result will benefit you with the accolades to help further yourself. You want a certain type job such as being a doctor, nurse, computer programmer, firefighter or one that pays a huge salary like a CEO; once again no one is going to give you this without you wanting this for yourself. When you accomplish your goals that you set for yourself you should feel proud and excited of what you just did for your self-improvement. How could this be wrong? In I world that is not responsible for your handouts why shouldn’t you take steps to make sure that you benefit from your actions? By practicing ethical egoism these decisions are the morally right choices and if you follow ethical egoism you would not feel immoral when you take any measures to accomplish your goals. Ethical egoists provide for themselves since they do not rely on other people for handouts or support this in turns improves their self-awareness and

Related Documents

  • Superior Essays

    Ethical egoism is a moral theory focused on improving a person’s well-being. There are many arguments for ethical egoism such as the self reliance argument and the best argument for ethical egoism, both presented by Shafer-Landau in The Fundamentals of Ethics. However, in this paper I will discuss how objections presented by Shafer-Landau and Dr. Thomas Carson are fatal to ethical egoism, while keeping in mind arguments for ethical egoism. I will discuss objections such as ethical egoism permitting or sometimes requiring murder, theft, or rape, in order to promote oneself’s well-being, egoists subconscious belief of their lives being more important than others, and an argument presented in class that if egoists must do what is best for their…

    • 1633 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    A. Utilitarianism seeks to maximize good by minimizing harm to all while egoism seeks to maximize good by keeping the individual happy. As ethical egoism holds that moral conduct ought to be judged through self-interest. Egoism states that the good consequences for the individual agent outweigh the consequences placed upon…

    • 335 Words
    • 2 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 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
  • 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
  • Improved Essays

    Role Of Egoism In Anthem

    • 555 Words
    • 3 Pages

    An egoist is a believer in egoism, but what is egoism? Merriam-Webster has two definitions for this word, the first one being that egoism…

    • 555 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Nathanson is quick to condemn the Equal Punishment Principle because, for one reason, it does not lead to a “measure of moral desert” (as cited in Timmons, 2016, p. 539). Nathanson also condemns the Equal Punishment Principle because it does not result in a sufficient scale for knowing suitable amounts of retribution (as cited in Timmons, 2016). Nathanson elaborates on the second problem, stating that it is ethically heinous to make an individual pay for his or her actions by making them suffer the same way they made another individual or individuals suffer (as cited in Timmons, 2016). For example, Nathanson states that the principle could mean “we rape rapists” (as cited in Timmons, 2016, p. 539). Ethical egoism talks about the ethicality of something corresponding to whether the effects of certain behavior are enjoyable to every person but the individual participating in that behavior (Fieser, n.d.).…

    • 762 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Decent Essays

    The ethical theory I’ve selected to support my position on opposing eating dog meat is Psychological Egoism, presented in Chapter 7 of our textbook. Here’s Shafer-Landau, speaking on Psychological Egoism: “If we have the power to do as we liked, we would always seek out our own best interests, no matter the harms we caused” (Shafer-Landau, 89) Here’s how this quote is linked to my position in oppose eating dog meat. Let’s say we have a Vietnamese friend name Tim, who was born and grew in a poor countryside. He got marriage with his long-time girlfriend and they had four children.…

    • 285 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Improved Essays

    In this paper, I will argue that people who should be considered to be altruistic are those who act magnanimously to those outside of their family or general social group. I will use examples such as kin selection, animal altruism, and arguments against psychological egoism to assist in proving my thesis to be true. I will also address a counter argument made by some psychological egoists who believe that due to most people feeling pleasure while doing good things for others, that there are no people only act selfishly. I will reference James Rachel ’s essay “Psychological Egoism” to help enhance my theory that not all acts must be out of self interest.…

    • 1185 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved 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

    Ethical egoism and utilitarianism both find their idea of morality in the same way. Both use the outcomes of their actions as the basis of what is morally correct. However they aren’t exactly the same, in the way they find their principles as to what the outcome should be. Ethical egoists want what is best for number one, themselves. Utilitarians want the greatest good for all people.…

    • 1041 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved 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
  • Great Essays

    What is my moral philosophy? I have rarely given this question any consideration, attempted to codify, or label such a concept. I don’t think I consciously realized such a thing actually existed, let alone recognized an ability to define it. My lack of self-awareness is most shocking to nobody more than myself, given I participate in two highly trusted professions within our society: a military officer and a civil engineer2.…

    • 1176 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Great 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