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Ethical Egoism: Interests
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Louis Pojman, author of "Egoism, self-interest, and Altruism," directly criticizes Ayn Rand’s view on Ethical Egoism. Pojrnan thinks that Rand assumes a false dilemma. He claims that just because it does not seem right to be altruistic, does not mean that the only option is to be completely selfish. He says "there are plenty of options between these two positions" (Pojman, p. 498). He brings up the Bible’s idea of loving your neighbor as yourself. He ... says that self-love is good, but not always at the expense of others (Pojman p.498).
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Ethical egoism is opposed not only by altruist philosophies, but is ... at odds with the majority of religions. Most religions hold that ethical egoism is the product of a lack of genuine spirituality and shows an individual's submersion in greed. Religious egoism is a derivative of egoism where the faith is used to validate one's self interest. [2]
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Ethical egoism does not necessarily call for rude or overtly selfish behavior, but with all things being equal, a person should look out for his own interests over those of others. Ethical egoism is sometimes viewed as being rooted in psychological egoism which is the view that people are psychologically-oriented toward seeking their own interests over the interests of others. Even if a person appears to act in the best interests of someone else, even that act is ultimately motivated by self interest.
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Ethical egoism is the normative theory that the promotion of one’s own good is in accordance with morality. In the strong version, it is held that it is always moral to promote one’s own good, and it is never moral not to promote it. In the weak version, it is said that although it is always moral to promote one’s own good, it is not necessarily never moral to not. That is, there may be conditions in which the avoidance of personal interest may be a moral action.
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Unfortunately for ethical egoism, the claim that everyone will be better off if each person does what is in his own interests is incorrect. This is shown by thought experiments known as “prisoner's dilemmas,” which played an increasingly important role in discussions of ethical theory in the late 20th century (see game theory). The basic prisoner's dilemma is an imaginary situation in which two prisoners are accused of a crime. If one confesses and the other does not, the prisoner who confesses will be released immediately and the prisoner who does not will be jailed for 20 years. If neither confesses, each will be held for a few months and then released. And if both confess, each will be jailed for 15 years.
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The basic idea of ethical egoism is that somehow every facet of social life must benefit every one, in some way. That is, selfish goals work. Ethical egoism rests on the idea the core goal of each person is to live long and prosper, and self-interest couldn’t possibly include obstacles to that purpose. In other words, following self-interest precludes any action that would have a negative affect on that crowning goal. Committing a crime that could conceivably end with your own execution is not in your self-interest. On the surface, ethical egoism has some potential.
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