1C - Ethical Egoism

What is ethical egoism?

⇨ A meta-ethical investigation focused on the agent to give an understanding of norm/behaviour
⇨ Looks at the motives behind an individual's actions
⇨ Do we behave in a manner purely driven by self-interest?
⇨ Opposed to altruism

In 1928, H.A. Pritchard gave a lecture entitled 'Duty and Interest', in which he questioned the true motive behind a dutiful action.
How did Richard Norman summarise Pritchard's argument?

⇨"Pritchard's central argument is this: if justice is advocated on the grounds that it is advantageous to the just person, it is thereby reduced to a form of self-interest."

What is the distinction between ethical egoism and psychological egoism?

⇨ ethical egoism = normative view that all action ought to be motivated by self-interest
⇨ psychological egoism = descriptive view that all human action is motivated by self-interest

Why does ethical egoism not necessarily mean that we always act selfishly in the narrow understanding of the word?

⇨ Acting out of self-interest can be amalgamated with an action that demonstrates concern for others
⇨ Involves a complex consideration of both short/long-term benefits (an action that overtly benefits another in the short-term may have the covert purpose of self-benefit in the long term) e.g. charity
- Short-term self-interest: interests served immediately my baking one feel good about doing the right thing
- Long-term self-interest: developing character/earning merit for afterlife

What does Frankena say about ethical egoism being unselfish?

⇨ "ethical egoism is an ethical theory, not a pattern of action or trait of character, and is compatible with being self-effacing and unselfish in practice"

Give the quote from the 18th Century economist, Adam Smith, that Peter Cave cited.

⇨ "It is not from the benevolence of the butcher...that we expect our dinner, but from their regard to their own interest"

To what extent did Max Stirner accept psychological egoism?

⇨ He recognised that the role of what others identify as self-interest in making moral decisions

⇨ Argued that self-interest incorrectly identified the true nature of the 'self'

⇨ Once the true self = realised, assertions of psychological egoism = weakened

What are the five stages to Max Stirner's argument?

1) Self-interest = always slave to something other than the 'self' ∴ not true self interest
2) We do not make free moral choices in relation to religious / philosophical systems of moral behaviour as such systems control us
3) True egoism = realising 'own' and 'owness' by not being driven by religious / philosophical / materialistic frameworks that enslave us
4) True self needs to be free from constraints of external ideologies ∴ unique
5) Only way to engage one's own uniqueness is to cooperate with other unique individuals by being part of a union of egoists

Explain Stirner's idea of the delusion of the past and the true nature of self-interest: the ego (Einzige)

⇨"The habit of the religious way of thinking has biased our mind so...that we deem ourselves depraved by nature, born devils"

⇨ "I am everything to myself and I do everything on my own account."

⇨ Stirnerian response to being asked for money by poor people: 'I give money reluctantly'
- I am not free as I do what my conscience tells me is my obligation, despite me not wanting to. To not help those in need would mean I am bad and not fulfilling my duty

What has Stirner been accused of advocating?

⇨ Amoralism

What does the Stanford Encyclopedia say about Stirner being accused of amoralism?

⇨ This is not entirely true as he rejects fixed moral obligations and not values
⇨ "his rejection of the legitimacy of moral claims is not to be confused with a denial of the propriety of all normative judgement"

Explain Stirner's idea of the future of the self being to realise owness (Eigenheit).

⇨ You must be freed from all obligation to any conscious or subconscious ideal and realise your 'owness'
⇨ "I am my own when I am master of myself, instead of being mastered either by sensuality or by anything else"
∴ in response to giving money, Stirner would argue: 'I do as I please/will'
∴ I am free ∵ I am my own person (owness) and not slave to obligation - this is true freedom and self-interest

Explain Stirner's idea of the future of the self being to activate uniqueness (Einzig).

⇨ The implications of what owness truly means can only be realised through appreciation of oneself as unique

⇨ Being unique = individual freedom from all external conceptual theories

⇨ Being unique does not mean everyone = equal; equality = another conceptual framework; the true egoist has a true appreciation of their self, which inevitably, being unique, cannot be equated with another

What does Stirner reject?

⇨ Egoism as a means for material gain
- "one-sided, narrow egoism"

Explain Stirner's idea of the union of egoists.

⇨ Only way forward = special community unprincipled other than having in common the recognition of the uniqueness of the egoist - the union of egoists

⇨ Society should be composed with the idea of cooperation prevailing in recognition of one's uniqueness so that one's true identity = asserted

⇨ The union would respect uniqueness of each member and support them in their unique pursuit of individual goals, whilst having no shared final ends

⇨ The union exists purely to help each individual achiever unique goals

Explain the challenge of the difficulty in understanding Stirner's work.

⇨ Non-methodical, random, chaotic, repetitive
⇨ Many philosophers struggle to grasp it
⇨ Stanford Encyclopedia: "The plurality of interpretations of his own work might well have... encouraged him in his view that there could be no legitimate constraints on the meaning of a text"

Explain the challenge of the destruction of a community ethos.

⇨ ethical egoism promotes the will of individual over the will of collective people; the state + laws guard exploitation of individuals over others

⇨ Stirner would respond that this very aim to free people is the formula that enslaves them; although this claim has been interpreted as supporting anarchy and official opposition to the state

⇨ Stanford: "Whilst individuals have no duty to overthrow the state, Stirner does think that the state will eventually collapse as a result of the spread of egoism."

Explain the challenge of social injustices and bigotry if individuals put their own interests first.

⇨ Pursuing one's own interests will inevitably be a conflict of interests with others and inevitably lead to social injustices and bigotry

⇨ As one individual accumulates money, others have less

⇨ How can society live according to the demands/needs specific to countless individuals without injustice and bigotry?