Transcript Egoismq859pADx

EGOISM
Kirsten A. Capps
Intro to Ethics
Egoism
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Each person has but one ultimate aim: her own
welfare (Shaver)
Egoism make claims about what one ought to do,
rather than describe what one does do.
Egoists can have moral side constraints on their
pursuit of their self-interested goals (Harris 67)
Psychological Egoism
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When people choose to help others, they do so
ultimately because of the personal benefits that
they themselves expect to obtain, directly or
indirectly, from doing so.
Psychological Egoism is about motivation.
Ethical Egoism
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The normative ethical position that moral agents
ought to do what is in their own self-interest
Claim that one ought to achieve a certain level of
welfare, but that there is no requirement to achieve
more. (Shaver)
Ethical egoism might also apply to things other than
acts, such as rules or character traits (Shaver)
Ethical egoism is about morality.
Rational Egoism
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Rational egoism claims that it is necessary and
sufficient for an action to be rational that it
maximize one's self-interest.
Rational egoism is about rationality.
Criticisms
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Amoralism- There is nothing wrong with egoism, but there is
nothing ethical about it.
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Thomas Jefferson- egoism, has been more plausibly substituted
as the basis of morality
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I agree, one can simply adopt rational egoism and completely drop
morality as a superfluous attribute of the egoism.
I disagree, morality is based on those around you. An egoist is
looking out for their own self-interest so it is the opposite of morality.
Joseph Butler- I must desire things other than my own welfare
in order to get welfare.
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I agree, welfare results from my action, but cannot be the only aim
of my action.
Criticism Continued…
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Ethical egoism is no better than bigotry- like racism, it
divides people into two types; themselves and others; and
discriminates against one type on the basis of some
arbitrary disparity.
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I agree, Egoism is an arbitrary doctrine, in the same way that
racism is arbitrary. We should care about the interests of other
people for the very same reason we care about our own
interests; for their needs and desires are comparable to our own
Kurt Baier- ethical egoism provides no moral basis for the
resolution of conflicts of interest, which, in his opinion, form
the only vindication for a moral code.
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I agree, ethical egoism fails to provide the moral guidance and
arbitration that it necessitates.
Rational Egoist in History
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Ayn Rand (1905 –1982)
She advocated reason as the only means of
acquiring knowledge and rejected all forms of faith
and religion.
She supported rational and ethical egoism.
Thomas Hobbes (1588-1679)
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Hobbes suggests there are six elements that an egoist has in
their “state of nature”
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
(Harris 65)
People are primarily concerned with their own well-being and
act accordingly
People want to avoid death and act accordingly
People are concerned with what others thin k of them and act
accordingly
People care about their future, as well as their present wellbeing and act accordingly
Satisfaction of one persons desires often conflicts with another
person’s desire satisfaction, owing to such factors as material
scarcity and competing claims to the same objects
People are roughly equal in their intellectual and physical
abilities.
China Suffers More Trade Frictions
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Chinese exporters are facing more and more trade frictions.
Some countries blocked imports from China through technical
barriers such as citing safety and environmental standards,
while others imposed complex customs and authentication
procedures, an official with the Ministry of Commerce’s Bureau
of Fair Trade for Imports and Exports said on the condition of
anonymity.
I think this constitutes egoism because the long-time developed
economies have stopped importing from China to maintain
their Egoist ruling positions. It is a broad example but the
leaders of the countries are the ones presenting the egoism.
http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/90778/7768976.html
Egoism & Driving
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On a smaller scale of current ethical situations I
would have to use driving.
There are so many accidents occurring simply
because people can’t just “let the car in the lane”
From fender-benders to needing flight for life, the
basis behind car accidents is that people were
looking out for their own interests and not looking
out for those around them.
QUESTIONS?
References
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C.E. Harris, J. (2007). Applying Moral Theories. Belmont: Thomson Higher Education.
Moseley, A. (2005, Aug 7). Egoism. Retrieved April 14, 2012, from Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy:
<http://www.iep.utm.edu/egoism/>
Shaver, Robert, "Egoism", The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (Winter 2010 Edition), Edward N. Zalta (ed.),
<http://plato.stanford.edu/archives/win2010/entries/egoism/>.