Ethics

Ethics Study Guide

Chapter 3: Egoism, Contractarianism, and Utilitarianism

©2018 Achieve Page 20 of 116 states that not only is it rational to pursue one’s individual interests, but it is irrational not to pursue them. Weak rational egoism holds that while pursuing one’s own interests is, in fact, rational, there may be circumstances where not pursuing them may not be considered irrational. Critics of psychological egoism claim that it is impossible to prove what motivates people to behave the way they do in all instances. Is the satisfaction gained from doing something for someone else the by-product of the action, or is it the purpose of doing the action? According to the theory, we always act in our own self-interest; it is not enough to show that people often act to promote their own interests. Objectives After reading this chapter, you should be able to: 1. Differentiate between psychological and ethical egoism. 2. Identify strengths and weaknesses of utilitarianism and contractarianism. 3. Contrast egoism and utilitarianism. 4. Distinguish between act and rule utilitarianism. 3.1 Egoism Plato uses the myth, The Ring of Gyges The Republic . In The Ring of Gyges , a shepherd named Gyges finds a magical ring that can make him invisible. Gyges uses this power to seduce the queen and murder the king. Glaucon, the narrator, asks whether we would, like the shepherd, pursue our own interests selfishly since there would be no way of getting caught. Glaucon argues that all persons are egoistic and selfish. The only reason people do not always do the unjust thing is the fear of being caught and/or harmed. Altruism is the opposite of egoism. Altruism is the moral obligation to benefit others rather than oneself. There are three variants of egoism: 1. Psychological egoism describes human nature as being completely self-motivated and self-centered. Also called descriptive egoism, it claims that people always act selfishly, to benefit their own happiness or self-interest. 2. Rational egoism claims that actions are rational only if they promote self-interest. The most notable proponent of rational egoism is Ayn Rand, whose writing The Virtue of Selfishness outlines the theory. 3. Ethical egoism says that people should act in their own self-interest. Strong rational egoism , to illustrate the concept of morality and egoism in his book