Ethical Egoism
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Load more
Recommended publications
-
Libertarianism, Culture, and Personal Predispositions
Undergraduate Journal of Psychology 22 Libertarianism, Culture, and Personal Predispositions Ida Hepsø, Scarlet Hernandez, Shir Offsey, & Katherine White Kennesaw State University Abstract The United States has exhibited two potentially connected trends – increasing individualism and increasing interest in libertarian ideology. Previous research on libertarian ideology found higher levels of individualism among libertarians, and cross-cultural research has tied greater individualism to making dispositional attributions and lower altruistic tendencies. Given this, we expected to observe positive correlations between the following variables in the present research: individualism and endorsement of libertarianism, individualism and dispositional attributions, and endorsement of libertarianism and dispositional attributions. We also expected to observe negative correlations between libertarianism and altruism, dispositional attributions and altruism, and individualism and altruism. Survey results from 252 participants confirmed a positive correlation between individualism and libertarianism, a marginally significant positive correlation between libertarianism and dispositional attributions, and a negative correlation between individualism and altruism. These results confirm the connection between libertarianism and individualism observed in previous research and present several intriguing questions for future research on libertarian ideology. Key Words: Libertarianism, individualism, altruism, attributions individualistic, made apparent -
Diogenes Laertius, Vitae Philosophorum, Book Five
Binghamton University The Open Repository @ Binghamton (The ORB) The Society for Ancient Greek Philosophy Newsletter 12-1986 The Lives of the Peripatetics: Diogenes Laertius, Vitae Philosophorum, Book Five Michael Sollenberger Mount St. Mary's University, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://orb.binghamton.edu/sagp Part of the Ancient History, Greek and Roman through Late Antiquity Commons, Ancient Philosophy Commons, and the History of Philosophy Commons Recommended Citation Sollenberger, Michael, "The Lives of the Peripatetics: Diogenes Laertius, Vitae Philosophorum, Book Five" (1986). The Society for Ancient Greek Philosophy Newsletter. 129. https://orb.binghamton.edu/sagp/129 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by The Open Repository @ Binghamton (The ORB). It has been accepted for inclusion in The Society for Ancient Greek Philosophy Newsletter by an authorized administrator of The Open Repository @ Binghamton (The ORB). For more information, please contact [email protected]. f\îc|*zx,e| lîâ& The Lives of the Peripatetics: Diogenes Laertius, Vitae Philosoohorum Book Five The biographies of six early Peripatetic philosophers are con tained in the fifth book of Diogenes Laertius* Vitae philosoohorum: the lives of the first four heads of the sect - Aristotle, Theophras tus, Strato, and Lyco - and those of two outstanding members of the school - Demetrius of Phalerum and Heraclides of Pontus, For the history of two rival schools, the Academy and the Stoa, we are for tunate in having not only Diogenes' versions in 3ooks Four and Seven, but also the Index Academicorum and the Index Stoicorum preserved among the papyri from Herculaneum, But for the Peripatos there-is no such second source. -
Benevolence, Utility, and Self-Love in Hobbes and Hume Jenna Kreyche
Stance | Volume 4 | 2011 How We Are Moral: Benevolence, Utility, and Self-Love in Hobbes and Hume Jenna Kreyche ABSTRACT: In this paper, I reconstruct Hobbes’ theory of self-love. I then examine Hume’s arguments that (i) self-love does not properly account for moral behavior and (ii) self-love is unnecessary for moral theory. I ar- gue that Hobbesian self-love can account for both of Hume’s objections. Further, I use an analysis of Hobbes’ Deliberation to show, contra Hume, that self-love does not entail a lack of intention in moral action. A Brief Overview Of Hume’s Moral Philosophy David Hume grounds his moral theory in the benevolent nature of humans, which he supports with an argument against the theory of self-love. Self- love, which can also be referred to as psychological egoism,1 “accounts for every moral sentiment by the principle of self-love,” or the ultimate concern with one’s own happiness and preservation.2 His moral theory is based on utility, which means that all social virtues are defined by their usefulness 1. Hume uses the term “self-love” in writing, but for the purposes of this paper I will use the syn- onymic term “psychological egoism” interchangeably with self-love. 2. David Hume, An Enquiry Concerning the Principles of Morals, Ed. Tom L. Beauchamp, (New York: Oxford University Press, 1998): 109. 27 How We Are Moral to the individual or the society. Hume posited that morality is determined by man’s naturally occurring sentiments rather than reason because pleas- ant sentiments indicate traits that are useful, such as prudence, courage, kindness, and honesty.3 These virtues inspire “our approbation and good- will” because they “contribute to the happiness of society.”4 However, our approval of these virtues, and in turn our concern with the welfare of soci- ety, is motivated by benevolence because the “principles of humanity and sympathy enter so deeply into all our sentiments.”5 In other words, man values and praises what is beneficial to him and his fellow men because of his love for humanity. -
Self-Reliance by Ralph Waldo Emerson in His Essay
Self-Reliance by Ralph Waldo Emerson In his essay “Self-Reliance,” Emerson begins with a definition of genius, a quality which he says he recently encountered in a poem written by an eminent painter. Genius is to “believe your own thought, to believe that what is true for you in your private heart is true for all men.” Moses, Plato, and Milton had this quality of disregarding tradition and speaking their own thoughts, but most people dismiss these thoughts, only to recognize them later in works of acknowledged genius. At some point, every individual realizes that “imitation is suicide.” One’s own powers of perception and creativity are the most important gifts, and one can only be happy by putting one’s heart into the work at hand. Great individuals have always accepted their position in the age in which they lived and trusted their own ability to make the best of it. Children, and even animals, also have this enviable power of certitude in their undivided minds. Society requires conformity from its citizens, but to be a self-reliant individual is to be a nonconformist. “Nothing is at last sacred but the integrity of your own mind.” Concepts such as good and evil, with which many people are accustomed to label their thoughts, are meaningless so long as people are true to themselves. Most people are swayed by irrelevant matters, such as how their conduct appears to others. The appearance of virtue is often a penance, which people perform because they think it makes them fit to live in the world, not because it expresses their true natures. -
Selfish Genes and Social Darwinism
Selfish Genes and Social Darwinism MARY MIDGLEY Exchanging views in Philosophy with a two-year time-lag is getting rather like conversation with the Andromeda Nebula. I am distressed that my reply to Messrs Mackie and Dawkins, explaining what made me write so crossly about The Selfish Gene, has been so long delayed.1 Mr Mackie's sudden death in December i98i adds a further dimension to this distress. Apology is due, not only for the delay but for the impatient tone of my article. One should not lose one's temper, and doing so always makes for confused argument. My basic objections remain. But I certainly ought to have expressed them more clearly and temperately. This reply must, I think, concentrate simply on explaining the background of reasons why these objections matter. I shall have very little to say directly about Mackie's argument, since it was chiefly just a very fair and sympathetic exposition of Dawkin's views. Mackie himself drew only very modest conclusions from them, and avoided the excesses of psychological egoism, as of course he also does in his own book. But this still leaves two serious worries. In the first place I do not think that The Selfish Gene itself, on any natural interpretation, does avoid those excesses. In the second, even when modestly interpreted, I think it is far too one-sided a book to be picked out and used in isolation for the re-education of moral philosophy in the biological facts of life. My own central philosophic concern-which I think Dawkins shares- is to make possible a more realistic attitude about the place of Homo sapiens in the world. -
A Sociological Study of Nihilism: a Case Study
International Journal of Liberal Arts and Social Science ISSN: 2307-924X www.ijlass.org A Sociological Study of Nihilism: A Case Study Jahangir Jahangiri, PhD Assistant Professor of Sociology, Department of Sociology and Social Planning, Faculty of Social Sciences, Shiraz University, Eram Place, Shiraz, Fars, Iran Code Postal: 7194685115 Email: [email protected] Rayehe Ghareh M.A in Sociology, Shiraz University, Shiraz, Iran Email: [email protected] Abstract The present research aims at studying nihilistic thoughts among students of Shiraz University. The framework of the research is Crosby’s theory about nihilism. The study is based on a quantitative approach and employs a survey method so as to collect the required data. Statistical population of the study is the whole Students of Shiraz University that according to the formal statistics consists of 20000 students. 400 students are selected by multistage sampling method. The results show that there is a significant relationship between the independent variables of gender, adherences to religious practices, fatalism, fear of failure, need for achievement and the dependent variable nihilism. Stepwise regression method used to predict the dependent variable. Ordinarily, five variables of fatalism, fear of failure, Adherences to religious practices, gender and need for achievement could predict 33% of dependent variable (R2=0.338) Key Words: Nihilism, Sociology, University Students, Shiraz University, Iran Introduction Undoubtedly, the most fundamental question that every human being faces with, is about the purpose of life. Not only modern human, but also pre-modern human beings have been encountered with this question. The intolerable journey from birth to death, and relentless onslaughts of hopelessness and despair, persuade every human to answer the question, as possible. -
Beyond 'Selfies': an Epidemic of Acquired Narcissism
From the Editor Beyond ‘selfies’: An epidemic of acquired narcissism Narcissism has an evil reputation. equals. They also seem to be incapable But is it justified? A modicum of of experiencing shame as they inflate their self-importance and megalomania narcissism is actually healthy. It can at the expense of those they degrade. bolster self-confidence, assertive- They cannot tolerate any success by oth- ness, and success in business and in ers because it threatens to overshadow Henry A. Nasrallah, MD their own exaggerated achievements. the sociobiology of mating. Perhaps Editor-in-Chief They can be mercilessly harsh towards that’s why narcissism as a trait has a their underlings. They are incapable of survival value from an evolutionary fostering warm, long-term loving rela- perspective. tionships, where bidirectional respect is essential. Their lives often are replete Taking an excessive number of “selfies” with brief, broken-up relationships ‘Acquired narcissism’ with a smartphone is probably the most because they emotionally, physically, or that comes from fame common and relatively benign form sexually abuse their intimate partners. of mild narcissism (and not in DSM-5, Primary NPD has been shown in can lead celebrities to yet). Narcissistic personality disorder twin studies to be highly genetic, and start believing they are (NPD), with a prevalence of 1%, is on more strongly heritable than 17 other the extreme end of the narcissism con- personality dimensions.1 It is also indeed superior to the tinuum. It has become tainted with such resistant to any effective psychother- rest of us mortals an intensely negative halo that it has apeutic, pharmacologic, or somatic become a despised trait, an insult, and treatments. -
Altruism in Auguste Comte and Ayn Rand Robert L. Campbell
A Dialogue on Ayn Rand’s Ethics Reply to Robert H. Bass, “Egoism versus Rights” (Spring 2006) Altruism in Auguste Comte and Ayn Rand Robert L. Campbell Robert H. Bass (2006) emphatically rejects Ayn Rand’s well- known argument that altruism in morality is inconsistent with respect for individual rights in politics. His article raises a multitude of issues. As much needs to be said about its treatment of egoism as its treatment of altruism. A good deal could be said, as well, about Bass’s insensitivity to the ancient ethical tradition to which Rand’s moral theory largely belongs. But here I will target a single point of controversy: Rand’s interpretation of altruism, which Bass declares is such a gross distortion as to invalidate her entire critique of it. Did Rand Misunderstand Altruism? As Bass correctly summarizes, Rand ([1943] 1968; 1957; 1961; 1964) maintained that altruism means placing what is good for others above what is good for oneself. According to Rand, the altruist regards achieving the good of others as essentially unconstrained by any concern for the rights or dignity of mere individuals, whose prime moral obligation is to submerge themselves within the collective and sacrifice themselves for it. This, however, should be no comfort to any Objectivist seriously concerned to address positions that real people hold. For Rand’s conception of altruism was entirely fantastic. It is a doctrine that has never been held by any important moral thinker and, in particular, not by any of the The Journal of Ayn Rand Studies 7, no. 2 (Spring 2006): 357–69. -
Egoism and Altruism: the “Antagonists” Or the “Brothers”?
View metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk brought to you by CORE provided by InfinityPress Journal of Studies in Social Sciences ISSN 2201-4624 Volume 7, Number 2, 2014, 164-188 Egoism and Altruism: the “Antagonists” or the “Brothers”? Levit L. Z., Ph. D. The Centre for Psychological Health and Education, Minsk, Belarus Abstract. The article under consideration deals with the theoretical analysis and the practical research of the ratio between the two notions: egoism and altruism. The author shows the inadequacy of the one-sided, morally loaded interpretations of both terms. The scores of two ESM-investigations mostly show the positive correlation between the “egoism” and the “altruism” scales in a person’s everyday activity. The results obtained give the opportunity to replace the inadequate view on egoism and altruism as opposites by a more appropriate metaphor of the older and the younger brother. Such an approach removes the idea of antagonism which is usually ascribed to the egoism-altruism interrelation. Key words: egoism, altruism, meaning, happiness, personal uniqueness, positive psychology. © Copyright 2014 the authors. 164 Journal of Studies in Social Sciences 165 Person-oriented conception of happiness: introduction and the brief explanation. In the years 2006 – 2012 the author (Leonid Levit) elaborated a synthesizing conception of self-realization and happiness, which is based on the ideas of the systemic approach and combines biological, psychological, social and spiritual (the highest) levels of individual life and activity. The results of our seven-year work on the problem are summarized in five monographs (Levit, 2010; 2011a; 2011c; 2012 a; 2013 c) and articles (Levit, 2009; 2011 b, 2012 b, 2012 c; 2013 a; 2013 b; 2013 e; Levit, Radchikova, 2012 a). -
Ethical Theory and Sexual Ethics
Ethical Theory and Sexual Ethics Ideas about ethics, and what counts as an ethical choice, have seen rapid change. This set of notes will suggest that there is a movement towards an evolutionary understanding of morality and outline what that emergent framework is beginning to look like for human sexual relationships. Western culture carries the last vestiges of a religious framework but increasingly there is broad acceptance of the view that Laws and morality are a human construct. Utilitarian frameworks are well established and provide a secular mechanism for moral decision-making. Utilitarianism Utilitarian frameworks all argue that morality is a rational activity and can be calculated. All maintain that the morally right course of action is that which leads to the greatest good for the greatest number. For Bentham, like Epicurus, the good is defined by actions that maximize the quantity of pleasure and minimize the quantity of pain. While Mill and Singer make minor adjustments to this they agree that morality depends on the accurate prediction of consequences, and that the end justifies the means. Morality can be, and should be, calculated and all people involved count equally for the purpose of the calculation. Bentham and Mill recommend that we pursue our natural inclinations towards pleasure (and against pain) and that this is where morality lies. In a number of ways the recommendations that flow from this ethical framework cohere with the values of the Christian civilisation from which it emerged. The desirability of ultimate and equal respect for persons is at the heart of the Gospel message. -
Sovereignty of the Living Individual: Emerson and James on Politics and Religion
religions Article Sovereignty of the Living Individual: Emerson and James on Politics and Religion Stephen S. Bush Department of Religious Studies, Brown University, 59 George Street, Providence, RI 02912, USA; [email protected] Received: 20 July 2017; Accepted: 20 August 2017; Published: 25 August 2017 Abstract: William James and Ralph Waldo Emerson are both committed individualists. However, in what do their individualisms consist and to what degree do they resemble each other? This essay demonstrates that James’s individualism is strikingly similar to Emerson’s. By taking James’s own understanding of Emerson’s philosophy as a touchstone, I argue that both see individualism to consist principally in self-reliance, receptivity, and vocation. Putting these two figures’ understandings of individualism in comparison illuminates under-appreciated aspects of each figure, for example, the political implications of their individualism, the way that their religious individuality is politically engaged, and the importance of exemplarity to the politics and ethics of both of them. Keywords: Ralph Waldo Emerson; William James; transcendentalism; individualism; religious experience 1. Emersonian Individuality, According to James William James had Ralph Waldo Emerson in his bones.1 He consumed the words of the Concord sage, practically from birth. Emerson was a family friend who visited the infant James to bless him. James’s father read Emerson’s essays out loud to him and the rest of the family, and James himself worked carefully through Emerson’s corpus in the 1870’s and then again around 1903, when he gave a speech on Emerson (Carpenter 1939, p. 41; James 1982, p. 241). -
Ethical Egoism
Handout 5: Ethical Egoism 1. Ethical Egoism One common assumption is that the interests, needs, and happiness of other people should factor in our moral evaluation of things. If we accept this assumption, we think that our moral evaluation of an action involves balancing our self-interest against that of others. What is morally right or wrong depends not only on how some action impacts us, but also how it affects others. Ethical egoism is the theory that this common assumption is false; each person ought to pursue his/her interests over and above the interests of others. 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 my personal happiness. For the egoist, happiness is regarded as ultimate & intrinsically valuable insofar as it is pursued for its own sake and not for the sake of something else. Misconception #1: A person is selfish if and only if he/she pursues his/her own interests without regard to the interests of others. EE does not say to be selfish in this way. Furthering your own interests and happiness often depends upon furthering the interests of others. If you are an egoist, the happiness of other people matters but only insofar as it factors into promoting your own happiness, e.g. helping a friend so that your life is better. Misconception #2: EE does not say that you should pursue only your basest, immediate, and most sensual wants and desires.