A rear assumption is that the needs and happiness of other people will always effects on our moral ethics. If we accept this assumption, we think that our moral ethics are balancing our self-interest against that of others. It is true, that “What is morally right or wrong depends not only on how it makes us feel, but also how it affects others”.
The idea of each person ought to pursue his or her own self -interest exclusively to do in his life time for others is known as Ethical Egoism.
In other words, ethical egoism states that
(i) There are objective moral facts and
(ii) An action is morally good if and only if it promotes my personal happiness and it is morally wrong if and only if that action hinders …show more content…
• Saving someone’s life by risking your own
• donating money
• donating blood, organs, etc.
If one wishes to be a psychological egoist, then one needs to explain why people do certain actions that appear to be genuine acts of altruism.
1.2 Arguments in Favor of Ethical Egoism
1.2.1 The Argument That Altruism is Self-Defeating
1. We ought to do whatever will promote the interests of everyone.
2. The interests of others are best promoted if each of us adopts the policy of pursuing our own interests
3. Thus, each of us should adopt the policy of pursuing our own interests exclusively
1.2.2 Ayn Rand's Argument
1. We each ought to regard this one life which is very importance to us, since we each have just one life.
2. Only ethical egoism allows each individual's life to be of main importance to them.
• Other moral theories all directly or indirectly enjoin altruism, which h is not the part of part ethical egoism.
• Altruism regards the individual life as something one may be required to sacrifice for the sake of …show more content…
Therefore, we ought to be Ethical Egoists.
1.2.3 Ethical Egoism as Compatible with Commonsense Morality
1. There is a set of beliefs that we unknowingly take to be our moral beliefs.
2. The specific beliefs we have in this set are much directed and so need to be explained, e.g. do not harm others, do not lie, etc.
3. Ethical egoism is the theory that is the best explain for all of these beliefs as it says that all of these beliefs starts from one basic principle: that it is in our best interest to follow.
1.3 Arguments against Ethical