Egoism is one of four popular ethical theories. The principle, or basic premise behind the Egoism theory is that self-interest is most important.
By definition, egoism is the theory that one’s self is, or should be, the motivation and the goal of one’s own action (Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy). An argument can be made that no human ever makes a decision without considering themselves, or that there is no true altruistic act anyways. So, it is important to differentiate a normal decision a person makes, and decision a person makes based on the egoism theory.A person may make a decision for themselves, for someone else, for God, or even for the good of the planet.
Even if that decision benefits them personally, it would not be considered egoism because they are not considering themselves only. This principle provides that a person with any set of morals will still do what is in their best interest, and only what is in their best interest when making a decision (Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy). Whether or not others benefit from that decision is not important to the person making the decision.This ethical theory is not a consistent way of decision-making for the good of the group, because each person varies in their morals and motivations, which leads to a different decision being made for each separate individual. In many cases, what is best for one person is not going to benefit the group as a whole, but at the same time, if there is a group of people similar enough to each other, what is best for one person may be the best for the group, and therefore, the egoism ethical theory would be effective.There are several reasons for accepting this principle.
First and foremost, we know our own wants and needs much better than the wants and needs of others, which allows us to pursue our wants and needs more efficiently than trying to figure out how to help others reach their wants and needs. Another reason for accepting this theory is that other people will not be able to sway you one direction or another when making a decision.If you are making a decision based on the egoism theory, there is no “going with the flow” or being persuaded which decision, or side, to take, because you are only thinking about what will benefit yourself in the situation. This intrinsic quality makes this theory very personal to each individual and gives him or her the “power” to make his or her own decisions.When putting this theory into practice, a person must act accordingly to what they believe to be the best route or option for him or erself in that that particular situation. For example, on the baseball team, it is a rule that we do not miss one class period all semester.
If a player was making a decision of whether or not they wanted to go to class using the egoism theory, he would not consider that fact that the team has a rule about attendance, or that his teammates would disapprove of him skipping class. He would consider whether or not he really felt like going to class, and if he didn’t want to go, he wouldn’t.If he wanted to go, he would go, but only because he wanted to, not because of extrinsic motivation from the team. Although this theory may be effective for an individual in certain situations, there are criticisms against the theory.
Many people would say it is selfish and self-centered (because it is). Because of this, there will be some situations that won’t benefit a group as a whole. Even when considering another person’s interest, it is in relation to how it will help them personally; therefore they are not really thinking of others at all.This is not to say that the egoism theory can not benefit more than one person at a time, but it is limited to a smaller group of people. Most people would agree that helping others brings them pleasure, and a sense of self-worth. With the egoism theory, a person is missing out on this feeling because even if they are helping other people, it is indirectly, and not a conscious decision they made, which takes away that feeling of self-worth.
The Egoism Ethical Theory is best related to natural law.Natural law is different from social contract because it does not rely on any predefined laws or rules set by the government, a religion, or any entity. Natural law is basically “the law of the jungle. ” They are universal and pre-existing (Ethical Egoism). Egoism is related to natural law in the way that any decision a person makes is not based on any rules that have been set by another person, it is based on the individual himself and whatever he feels is best for himself. Without regard for any rules, an egoist will act based on their own motives.
This is what makes egoism natural. It is universal because any individual has the ability to make a decision to act in any way that they please. They are not bound by any social contract or set of rules. In conclusion, there are only certain situations in which I see the egoism ethical theory being effective. When a group of people is similar, it may be effective because all of the people in the group are more likely to benefit from the decision of that person who is similar to them.
Another way this technique is positive is that when a person makes a self-motivated decision, there is a possibility that others will benefit form it, even though that person isn’t thinking of them. For example, a small child is drowning in a public pool. The egoist makes the decision to rescue the small child, not because the child is in danger, or because his parents would be devastated if he were injured or killed, but because if the egoist saves the child, he will be rewarded.People will consider him a hero and give him recognition for the courage act he performed. For the most part, on a group level, I don’t see this principle as working.
The self-motivation and self-centered forces that drive the decision do not allow for many people to benefit at once. In this respect, this ethical theory is effective for the individual making the decision, or only for a group of people that are similar to the individual.
