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Abstract: The various forms of ethical egoism are defined. Standard objections to ethical egoism are evaluated, and the conclusion is drawn that ethical egoism is incomplete. <\/p>\n
I. Ethical egoism is the prescriptive doctrine that all persons ought to act from their own self-interest.<\/p>\n
A theory of ethics should <\/p>\n
Therefore, the theory should be both consistent and complete. <\/p>\n
e.g., the injunctions from folklore morals, \"Haste makes waste\" and \"Look before you leap\" would be inconsistent with \"A stitch in time saves nine,\" or \"The race is to the swift.\" <\/p>\n
e.g., In Christian ethics, the principle \"Render therefore unto Caesar the things which are Caesar's\" (Matthew 22:21) is meant to distinguish between secular and religious situations in order to avoid political difficulty for religious belief and so would be an incomplete theory of action in the secular realm. <\/p>\n
Consequently, the three ways to raise objections to an ethical theory is to show that the theory is <\/p>\n
I. Charge: Ethical egoism is contradictory because it allows one and the same act to be evaluated as both right and wrong. Charge: the theory is mistaken in truth; it is inconsistent. <\/p>\n
Therefore, praising Jack's qualities is both right and wrongright for Jack and wrong for Jill. <\/p>\n
II. Charge: Ethical egoism is committed to giving inconsistent advice. (The charge is inconsistency.) <\/p>\n
III. Charge: If the (universal) egoist believes that each person should promote his own interest, then isn't he acting against his own interest to state his theory. (The charge is inconsistency.) <\/p>\n
IV. Charge: There are certain interpersonal decisions that have to be made that transcend the egoist's point of view. (The charge is of incompleteness) <\/p>\n
V. Final Comments on Ethical Egoism: the egoist is often seen to be egotistical and selfish, rather someone acting under enlightened self-interest.<\/p>\n
E.g., An ethical egoist can act in self-interest by contributing to the Salvation Army or to the United Fund. <\/p>\n
VI. If the egoist is to choose what is in his own interest, then he must have the personal freedom to choose. <\/p>\n
Recommended Sources <\/p>\n
Solipsism: An excellent discussion of the role of solipsism in the history of Western and Eastern philosophy and its role as a limiting case in thought experiments and epistemology from Wikipedia. See also from this source links to various related concepts to egoism including ethical egoism. <\/p>\n
Ethical Egoism: A section of the entry \"Egoism\" discussing arguments for and against by Robert Shaver published in the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. <\/p>\n
Ethical Egoism: A section of the entry \"Egoism' from the Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy by Alexander Moseley emphasizing conflict resolution. <\/p>\n<\/p>\n
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Read this article:<\/p>\n
Ethical Egoism - Lander University<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Abstract: The various forms of ethical egoism are defined. Standard objections to ethical egoism are evaluated, and the conclusion is drawn that ethical egoism is incomplete. Continue reading