1. EGOISM Kirsten A. Capps Intro to Ethics

2. Egoism  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)

3. Psychological Egoism  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.

4. Ethical Egoism  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.

5. Rational Egoism  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.

6. Criticisms  Amoralism- There is nothing wrong with egoism, but there is nothing ethical about it.  I agree, one can simply adopt rational egoism and completely drop morality as a superfluous attribute of the egoism.  Thomas Jefferson- egoism, has been more plausibly substituted as the basis of morality  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.  I agree, welfare results from my action, but cannot be the only aim of my action.

7. Criticism Continued…  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.  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.  I agree, ethical egoism fails to provide the moral guidance and arbitration that it necessitates.

8. Rational Egoist in History  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.

9. Thomas Hobbes (1588-1679)  Hobbes suggests there are six elements that an egoist has in their “state of nature” 1. People are primarily concerned with their own well-being and act accordingly 2. People want to avoid death and act accordingly 3. People are concerned with what others thin k of them and act accordingly 4. People care about their future, as well as their present well- being and act accordingly 5. 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 6. People are roughly equal in their intellectual and physical abilities. (Harris 65)

10. China Suffers More Trade Frictions  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

11. Egoism & Driving  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.

12. QUESTIONS?

13. References  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:  Shaver, Robert, "Egoism", The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (Winter 2010 Edition), Edward N. Zalta (ed.),.