Rational egoism

Egoism is the theory that people are, and should be, selfish and base their actions on what is going to benefit them the most. Many philosophers including Thomas Hobbes, Macaulay, Herbert Spencer and Aristotle supported and wrote about this theory. There are variations of egoism. One of them is the descriptive which states that people are motivated by their own interests and desires, and no one is exempt from this. The normative variant proposes that people should be driven by their own desires…

Ayn Rand’s theory is based on what she believes ethical egoism really is as her view on it is a much less vigorous approach. Rand’s theory consists her believing that man should not sacrifice himself for others, and should not sacrifice others for himself either. She believes that the man’s life is the most important aspect of oneself and should always be put first in their own eyes. Rand’s writing discusses the “morality of sacrifices” and her beliefs in man’s self-interest. Rand believes…

"The Death of Ivan Ilych" by Leo Tolstoy, shows how the majority of society is selfish. Yet Tolstoy also suggests how even though there is so much selfishness in society, there are some exceptional people who do not follow social conventions and are the prime example of how people in a society should be. This paper will argue that being selfless is important in society and that people should deviate from individualistic behavior and concentrate more on collective behavior. Although a person…

(a) Many may question the intentions of people’s actions, whether it is for personal gain or truly attempting offer aid to an individual in distress. Empathy is seen as a leading factor that initiates someone help another. The main idea taken away from both readings in the difference between egoistic and altruistic motivation is the ultimate end goal of the person offering relief. An egoistic end goal refers to increasing personal gain or decreasing personal pain; while, an altruistic motivation…

that can be examined to understand these situations more thoroughly are the theories of utilitarianism and egoism. To lay the ground base, utilitarianism is an ethical theory that states than an individual should do not what is best for himself, but rather for the greater of the group. In the movie, a Stasi agent employs a utilitarian position in how his work life unfolds. On the other hand, egoism is an ethical theory that states that an individual will act only on their own self-interest.…

o Although egoist may agree that a man exists for his own sake, egoism neglects our nature as social creatures.”. o Main source texts: Stephen M. Cahn, A supreme Moral Principle. o The Egoist declares us all selfish and that humans are only motivated by self-interest. Philosophers such as Ayn Rand elaborates saying it our best nature to only be concerned about one’s self as it the main motive for one’s existence. I. Main argument. o Your main premise: The Egoist Claims we are all selfish just…

the other people; She refers to this an ethical egoism, she believes that people who rely on others or the government are “ looters” and “moochers”, and at most I kind of agree but in the end I found myself mostly disagreeing with her on her point of view. In my opinion, I Believe it is in human nature to care about the others and that yeah, we should care about ourselves as well, but we need to treat others the way we want to be treated. Ethical egoism is an absurd form of saying one is selfish…

Though most human actions and desires are undeniably formed in the protection or furtherance of the agent 's personal interest, to say this constitutes the entirety of human interaction would discount the altruistic capabilities of empathetic thought, and consequent action, seen in human beings. In this paper, I will directly respond to ethical egoist , both strategic and metaphysical, arguments in defense of cooperative action being rooted in self-interest. I will begin with a strategic ethical…

for them is better than what they want for themselves. This is the problem with altruism. Our society as a whole should not have much of an altruistic focus, not because altruism is unimportant, but because there is a grey area between altruism and egoism, an area of ideals, intentions, and values. Your own ideal may be different than another’s ideal. Your actions may seem altruistic, but your motivation may only be in your own self-interest. Your values are the same as ideals, which may be…

In this paper I will use the views and theories of Ayn Rand on altruism, James Rachels’ view psychological egoism and Immanuel Kant’s categorical imperative in order to propose a moral theory on how we ought to behave both individually and as a society. As a frame of reference, I will first present a case on why psychological egoism applies to humans which will tie in with both individual and global morality. In the same way, I will state reasons why I believe Rand was precise in pointing out…