Chapter 8 - Ethical Egoism

Learning Objectives Answered

M5.2: Be able to differentiate between psychological egoism and ethical egoism

• Psychological egoism claims that humans’ ultimate motivation is self-interest - we always seek to benefit ourselves. Ethical egoism states that actions are morally right because they best benefit our own self-interest.

M5.3: Be able to identify the concept of and some challenges for ethical egoism

• Ethical egoism: Philosophical theory that states actions are morally right because they best benefit our own self-interest.

• Challenges to ethical egoism:

  1. Argument from Paradigm Cases:

     1. If an ethical theory requires killing, rape, or theft, just because such actions maximize self-interest, then that theory cannot be true.

        • Not plausible - this premise assumes egoism is mistaken; self-interest cannot morally justify immoral actions.

     2. Ethical egoism sometimes requires such actions, just because they sometimes do maximize self-interest.

        • For egoists to defend this, they must claim that immoral actions never advance self-interest (Plato tried arguing this in the Republic) - which is possible but often untrue.

        • Some evil people may be morally troubled, but most are satisfied with their actions and network with similarly evil people.

     3. Therefore, ethical egoism cannot be true.

  2. Egoism Violates Core Moral Beliefs

     • If ethical egoism is true, common-sense immoral actions (e.g., murder, rape, theft), can be considered moral if they benefit our self-interest - common, widely agreed immoral actions are moral in the egoist view.

  3. Egoism Cannot Allow for the Existence of Moral Rights

     • If a person is morally required to act against another person’s rights (e.g., to kill them or to steal from them) to advance their own self-interest, then moral rights are hard to conceptualize - people can violate them whenever it serves their interests to do so.

     • Egoism cannot protect people from unwanted interference by others.

  4. Egoism Arbitrarily Makes My Interest All-Important

     • Even if we accept that people are morally allowed to give themselves some priority, that doesn’t mean they can give themselves complete priority over others.

     • Ethical egoism denies the moral importance of any other interest (e.g., the interest of others) besides our own.

• Arguments for ethical egoism:

  1. Self-Reliance Argument (implausible):

     1. The most effective way of making everyone better off is for each person to mind his own business, and tend only to his own needs.

        • Implausible - there is a middle ground that allows self-interest but demands self-sacrifice, especially if the sacrifice may offer great help to someone else at little cost to us (e.g., donating $10,000 for someone’s knee surgery if you make $10 million yearly).

     2. We ought to take the most effective path to making everyone better off.

        • Plausible - but egoists cannot accept this. To ethical egoists, the ultimate moral duty is to maximize our own self-interest, and helping others should only be done when it helps us personally.

     3. Therefore, we each ought to mind our own business and tend only to our own needs.

  2. Libertarian Argument:

     • Libertarians claim that our moral duties to help other people have only two sources: consent and reparation. In other words, any duty to aid another person stems either from our voluntarily agreeing to accept that duty (i.e., our consent) or from us violating someone’s rights and so owing a duty to repair the wrong we have done.

       • However, there are sources of duties that indicate moral responsibility other than consent and reparation (e.g., donating $10,000 for someone’s knee surgery if you make $10 million yearly) - the victim’s needs, combined with an easy ability to help, generate a moral duty to offer assistance.

     • Similarly, egoists deny that consent and reparation determine moral responsibility. The ultimate goal of morality, to the ethical egoist, is to do what benefits our own self-interest - disagreeing with libertarianism.

  3. Best Argument for Ethical Egoism (implausible according to Shafer-Landau):

     1. If you are morally required to do something, then there is good reason for you to do it.

        • Plausible - Moral actions often have a logical basis that benefits us; for example, telling the truth fosters trust and respect, thereby enhancing our reputation.

     2. If there is a good reason for you to do something, then doing it must make you better off.

        • Implausible - An action with good reason (e.g., altruistic actions), ≠ an action that makes you better off (e.g., sacrificing your life to save someone else - you won’t be better off, but there’s good reason to do it, or calling 911 to report an accident, even though it won’t benefit you).

     3. Therefore, if you are morally required to do something, then doing it must make you better off.