The Egoist

1) The difference between psychological egoism and ethical egoism involves the actions behind each. The simple fact is that they both have the same motive which is to act in favor of oneself (self-interest), they just go about this in a different way. In psychological egoism even when men are acting in ways apparently calculated to benefit others, they are actually motivated by the belief that acting in a certain manner is to their own advantage. If they did not believe this they would not be…

Imagine your life is perfect. You are the mayor of a now prosperous town, you are a public figure everyone looks up to, you run a successful business, and you are seen as a nice, yet wealthy, man. All is right, until you find out a beggar has been sentenced to prison for life for a crime you have commit in your past. Wrongfully, he was mistaken for you and now he will suffer for it, unless you come forward. Would you turn yourself in? Jean Valjean was put in this exact position. There are three…

not believe that everyone is born with a good conscience, and therefore, people will not feel guilt for their actions, even if their actions are unethical. In conclusion, I strongly agree with Kant’s ethical philosophy, and even though a Kantian and egoist would arrive at the same conclusion, I believe that the way in which a Kantian would get to the conclusion is…

Analysis of Normative Ethical Concepts and their Relationship with Characters in the AMC Television Show: The Walking Dead The text below was a post I wrote after the finale of a TV show I enjoy watching called The Walking Dead. My Philosophy/Ethics course has helped me see the show in a whole new light and I rarely find people who are as interested in dissecting such content. The show is ripe for ethical analysis due to the characters constantly being faced with life or death situations…

Psychological egoism is a clear claim that all moral beings should act in their own self-interest, even when appearing to act in the interest of others. On the other hand, ethical egoism is a standardizing claim, which states that moral beings commit to do what is in their best interest. The difference between both claims is that one is a normative claim and the other is a descriptive claim. A descriptive claim (psychological egoism) describes the actions of moral beings and creates a moral…

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…

it, but also the implicit conflation of altruism and morality could not be more removed from reality, and therefore harmful to man in general. When Roark praises selfishness and denounces altruism, he is affirming a rational moral code: Ayn Rand’s egoist ethics. Because man’s life must be his standard of value— as that which underlies and engenders all other values— selfishness, or acting for one’s own benefit, for the facilitation and expansion of one’s life, must be the guiding principle of a…

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. Ethical egoism makes less sense than utilitarianism as a conduct for life practices. John needs money to buy medicine for his child; otherwise,…

Many Americans are struggling with new laws that have been created to protect the LGBTQ community. In recent years, many states have passed the law for same sex marriage. As well as laws to protect transgenders from discrimination. Regardless of the new laws, the LGBTQ community continues to fight for equality. The case of Gloucester County School Board v. G.G. is the first transgender case to reach the Supreme Court. Gavin Grimm (G.G.) made headlines because of the discrimination he experienced…

Virtue ethics is defined as a moral theory that puts an emphasis on virtue making it the central concern. Virtual ethics defines the character of man as to what exactly is morally correct or incorrect. In Lewis Vaughn’s “Doing Ethics” (P.139) he states that “a virtuous person would do or what moral exemplars such as Jesus or Buddha would do.” He also goes on to state that a virtuous person often is someone who chooses to live the good life, flourishes and chooses happiness (P.139). A virtuous…