Chapter 7 - Psychological Egoism

Psychological egoism

The theory that the ultimate motivation for human actions is self-interest, either in the long-term or short-term.

Altruism

Direct desire to benefit others for their own sake, without any ulterior motive.

Strictly conscientious action

Action motivated by the thought or desire to do one’s duty for its own sake, rather than from any ulterior motive.

Argument from Strongest Desires

An argument that claims our actions are motivated by our ultimately strongest desires, suggesting all actions are self-interested, implausible as being motivated by our strongest desires ≠ actions that benefit our self-interest (e.g., religious/altruistic acts).

Argument from Expected Benefit

An argument that suggests whenever you do something, you expect to be better off, implying that you're always pursuing self-interest, is implausible as this argument begs the question: if you don’t expect your actions to benefit yourself, you’re not aiming to promote your self-interest.

Appeal to the Guilty Conscience

A suggestion that individuals act altruistically to alleviate guilt, arguing that such actions are ultimately self-serving, implausible as individuals concerned about whether their actions harm others are inherently acting from altruistic, unselfish perspectives.

Expanding the Realm of Self-Interest

The idea is that altruistic actions are ultimately motivated by self-interest, as they serve to avoid personal loss, while most moral actions for their child’s needs typically help someone else’s own well-being; this doesn’t show the person is motivated by self-interest.

Implications of Egoism Argument

If psychological egoism is true, then we cannot be altruistic, and thus we cannot be morally obligated to be altruistic.