LYCOS RETRIEVER 
Ethical Egoism
built 626 days ago
Ethical Egoism would have each person assign greater importance to his or her own interests than to the interests of others. But there is no general difference between oneself and others, to which each person can appeal, that, justifies this difference in treatment.
Source:
Although there are some valid arguments against the concept of Ethical Egoism, there are ... a few arguments for the position. There are some Ethical Egoists that feel so strongly about the concept that they choose to write about it. Harry Browne, author of the essay, "The Unselfishness Trap," is one of them. In his work he describes a world of all unselfish people. He talks about the idea of happiness being a red ball. In this world of unselfish people, the ball is continuously being passed around. Browne states that it would be impossible for the ball to be caught and enjoyed.
Source:
· Egoism vs. Altruism: Egoism is the position taken in ethical decision-making according to which a decision is deemed ethical only if it is selfishly motivated. Altruism is the position taken in ethical decision-making according to which a decision is deemed ethical only if it is not selfishly motivated.
Source:
Ethical egoism, on the other hand, posits that morality must be selfish. This is an extraordinary claim. Mike's example above gives one counterexample. Here's another: I take the time and give homeless Earl down the street a bit of food and drink, without any witnesses, and without any benefit to my reputation; I've never met Earl before, and I expect never to meet him again. Under M, this result is permissible, though not necessarily obligatory. But under egoism, the result immoral.
Source:
Some writers say ethical egoism is ultimately inconsistent. To be inconsistent is to be guilty of self-contradiction. So the argument against egoism is that ethical egoists must ultimately contradict themselves. Since self-contradiction is a big problem in logic, showing that someone is guilty of it is an excellent refutation technique.
Source:
Against the first inconsistency charge, the ethical egoist can reply that ethical egoism provides no neutral ranking of states of affairs. It recommends to A that A go to the game, and to B that B go to the game, but is silent on the value of A and B both attending the game.
Source:
MORE ABOUT
Ethical Egoism