Ethical Egoism

Question : Do we have to practice an egoism for our own interest?

Ethical Egoism. As defined in Wikipedia is the normative ethical position that moral agents ought to do what is in their own self-interest. It differs from psychological egoism, which claims that people can only act in their self-interest. Ethical egoism also differs from rational egoism, which holds that it is rational to act in one's self-interest.


We are not situated well with respect to knowing the interests of others. Since we cannot know other's interests, we are likely to bungle in our attempts to help others. We are, however, in a good position to know our own interests. Helping others is invasive. Helping others is degrading, it says that they are not competent to care for themselves. 

Ethical egoism does not, however, require moral agents to harm the interests and well-being of others when making moral deliberation; for example, what is in an agent's self-interest may be incidentally detrimental, beneficial, or neutral in its effect on others. Individualism allows for others' interest and well-being to be disregarded or not, as long as what is chosen is efficacious in satisfying the self-interest of the agent. Nor does ethical egoism necessarily entail that, in pursuing self-interest, one ought always to do what one wants to do.

By the way, there are there types of Ethical Egoism. They are :-

A. Personal ethical egoism is the belief that only I should act from the motive of self-interest, nothing is stated about what motives others should act from.

B. Individual ethical egoism is the prescriptive doctrine that all persons should serve my self-interest.

C. Universal ethical egoism is the universal doctrine that all persons should pursue their own interests exclusively.

Ethical egoism is contradictory because it allows one and the same act to be evaluated as both right and wrong. Ethical egoism has been alleged as the basis for immorality. Thomas Jefferson writes in a 1814 letter to Thomas Law:

"Self-interest, or rather self-love, or egoism, has been more plausibly substituted as the basis of morality. But I consider our relations with others as constituting the boundaries of morality. With ourselves, we stand on the ground of identity, not of relation, which last, requiring two subjects, excludes self-love confined to a single one. To ourselves, in strict language, we can owe no duties, obligation requiring also two parties. Self-love, therefore, is no part of morality. Indeed, it is exactly its counterpart. "

Finally, it has been averred that ethical egoism is no better than bigotry in that, like racism, it divides people into two types — themselves and others — and discriminates against one type on the basis of some arbitrary disparity.

"We should care about the interests of other people for the very same reason we care about our own interests; for their needs and desires are comparable to our own." - James Rachels.

*Assignment II for Business Ethics and Corporate Governance done. Winks ;)

Much Love,