Is Moral Selfishness A Decent Good Hypothesis?

​One of the main reasons supporting this idea is result that shall be followed, helping others might make other people help you or even your family. For example, if you always help other people when you are alive, when you

“… we always desire happiness for its own sake and never as a means to something else, whereas we desire honor, pleasure, intellect and every virtue, partly for their own sakes (for we should desire them independently of what might result from them)but

But Egoism also has its own benefits. Let’s say an officer is called to assist a store in a theft issue. Upon arrival, the officer finds out that the thief was a mother stealing food for her children. To resolve the issue, instead of arresting the mother, he pays for the items to make the situation balanced for everyone, and gives her a ride home. While the opinion on the end result of this may vary, the officer is going to feel better about himself for not punishing a mother

I believe that altruism and the pursuit of living an altruistic life is the best possible way to give your life meaning. In my essay I wrote that perfect altruism is difficult to achieve, and even if it were possible many people think that it would defeat its own purpose because there would be no one left to help. I will be addressing an objection to this belief, which is that in order for a goal to give life meaning to someone’s life the goal must be achievable. I will reply to this objection by explaining how altruism can have a significant effect on a person’s life regardless of perfect altruism being achieved or not. Also, achieving perfect altruism is not the best way to judge if altruism has been successful or not.

Selfish by definition is to be only concerned with one's self for their own gain, be it by action or by motive. If one goes to the doctors because they are sick or just for a health checkup, they will remind you that it is good to take time for yourself. In this very fast paced world we are living in sometimes we just forget about us.

Altruism, a trait only some possess, but many strive for. There is more than one definition for the word though all seem to have the same bases that it is the unselfish concern for the well-being of others. Various individuals perform positive deeds to aid and assist others; however, psychologists who have studied the altruistic trait have inconclusive evidence regarding the idea of “true altruism” and what role selfish motives function within a “selfless” trait. As one article states, “The truly altruistic act is the virtuous act and the virtuous act is, always, the rational act” (Burton 2012). The argument however is whether or not altruism could ever truly be unselfish; there are many health and other benefits

When looking at prosocial behavior, one must inquire what the causes are behind these actions. Most people prefer to assume the motives for acting prosocially are altruistic, but others disagree. In Altruism and Society: A Social Learning Perspective, J. Rushton asserts that altruism is a “universal value in all human societies and forms the basic tenet of most of the world’s great religious, social reformist, and revolutionist movements” (Rushton, 1982). Such a deeply rooted aspect of human nature must serve an evolutionary purpose. If one member has genuine concern for another and this concern is then reciprocated and expanded to more members in a network of bonds, everyone is looked after. Seeing value in others and investing in them eventually does benefit the group. This “universal value” can be manipulated, however, to pivot from benefitting others to benefitting

When someone has egoistic motives they expect something in return (Reis, 29). Conversely, altruistic help is voluntary, and motivated by concern for another person’s well being (Reis, 29). Ethical egoism is when an individual focuses on their own happiness (Dixon, 50). Ethical altruism, is focusing on another person’s happiness and having that be the principal goal (Dixon, 50). Although we do receive approval and pleasure from charitable actions, Dixon states that, “The reply might be that true altruism certainly exists because many people engage in charitable activities at a cost to themselves” (50). Some ethical egoists think that everyone should always act on their self-interest (Harwood, 122). Harwood says, “In contrast, Johann Friedrich Herbart argued that benevolence involves the harmonization of one’s will with others’ wills”

Selfish. Thats a word define by the english dictionary as, “lacking consideration for others.” A selfish person is only concerned about themselves and disregard the severe devastation that a particular action can lead to in another human being. In a family in which a divorce is taking place or has taken place involves a large amount of inconsiderate actions done by parents. When the marriage begins to get difficult, the most simple outcome is to file for divorce. However, at no point is there an attempt into trying to understand how a divorce can affect an adolescent in any way. In a study from Oslo, Norway a prospective study(n=1861) and a cross sectional study(n=2422) took place that demonstrates that early parental divorce causes risk behaviors in an adolescent. It is grueling for an adolescent to attempt in balancing the

Most often, people help others when doing that good deed comes with a reward for themselves personally. One theory to support this is self-interested helping. Self-interested helping is when we aid someone else in order to benefit our own welfare in the end. An example of this is helping a teacher after class in hopes of getting on their good side and being favored on grades. However, the reward does not have to be physical. You could help someone out merely to feel better about yourself, but that is still a selfish motive. While an act of kindness does help the other party, it is often hard to tell who is getting more from it. This proves that humans help do good deeds for a personal reward, even if they don’t realize it.

In "The Virtue of Selfishness" Ayn Rand argues that self-interest is the norm of ethics. Perhaps the strongest argument Rand gives for this claim relies on the argument that it is up to every individual to decide what values his or her life needs. Since it is important to know what morals one should have, or if one should even have any. In this paper I will argue that this argument fails because a self-interested person will belittle the interests of others for their own good, therefore damaging the relationship he or she has with others.

The theory of psychological egoism shows that, at the center of each willful human activity, there is the inspiration of self-interest – that we do things on the grounds that they profit us. It doesn't propose how to live, yet rather how individuals do really go about their lives, regularly. This theory is extremely controversial because of the ease it decreases all activities to egomaniacal thinking. Extracting from that perception, we can extend that all the great done by individuals is an outcome of egotistical intentions. The theory utterly denies both the present altruism, and the self-less noble in individuals. Altruism is the bestowal of a profit by one individual to an additional in a caring manner. Such practices cost the individual

Ethical egoism is a position according to which every person takes care of themselves. According to ethical egoists, personal welfare should be the ultimate goal and as such, solely and exclusively focus on pursuit of self-interests. It prescribes a way in which people ought to behave morally. It also argues that maximization of personal interest is an important issue. Other people 's welfare does not matter when making a moral judgment about how to behave. However, this principle does not provide a satisfactory moral theory in its arguments.

In the Confessions and the First Letter to the Corinthians, the respective authors delve into the nature of sin and prescribe solutions to problem of evil so that Christians can understand the existence of evil. Human nature defined by both Paul and Augustine is the pattern drawn from actions that humans without a stimulus. For Paul, the importance of love, and condemnation of the idea that all is permitted reveal his view of human nature. Augustine’s analysis of infancy and of his own sexual urges leads to a similar view of human nature. Both Paul and Augustine view the nature of humans as being selfish while striving towards satisfying one’s own physical needs.

A person who does a good deed for the sake of one’s gratification, a person who puts personal obligations before others, and a person who lacks the value of human life, is a person whose forehead is stamped with a single word: selfish. Selfishness may present itself in times of danger, especially when the decision comes to saving oneself or saving another along the way. Twenty-first century society dictates that when one is in a situation, such as being in a burning building, they are morally obligated to do what is seen as right. As the fire engulfs the building from all sides, deep red flames can be seen. The fire isn’t only burning, but it’s burning with such intensity like the fearsome fire-breathing mythological creature, Chimera. The Chimera, a hybrid of a lion, goat, and snake, is viewed with fear or intrigue, similar to selfishness itself, so this begs the question; is selfishness ultimately immoral, or can it be ethical?