The Virtue of Selfishness

Virtue ethics is a normative theory whose foundations were laid by Aristotle. This theory approaches normative ethics in substantially different ways than consequentialist and deontological theories. In this essay, I will contrast and compare virtue ethics to utilitarianism, ethical egoism, and Kantianism to demonstrate these differences. There is one fundamental aspect of virtue ethics that sets it apart from the other theories I will discuss. For the sake of brevity and to avoid redundancy, I will

authors perspective. One of which is that the goals listed above seem to be self-focused. Are love and romantic relationships truly about having one’s own needs met? Questions like this can best be answered by understanding the difference between selfishness, selflessness, and altruism. In a PowerPoint presentation (2010), Kenrick, Neuberg, & Cialdini define pure altruism as, “behavior that benefits another intentionally for no external or internal reward” (slide 66). Neel Burton M.D. (2016) further

But what stands out the most about her character is her extreme selfishness. She believed that you won't achieve anything in life if you believed in the idea of altruism. She was self-interested and her number on priority was herself. Without her arrogance and selfishness, she would’ve never got to where she got during her lifetime. In order for someone to achieve success they must do whatever is necessary. Her arrogance and selfishness are the reasons which led her to success and achieving her goals

Human nature is what human beings are born to have certain common characteristics in psychology and behaviors that human beings uphold as the common traits of humankinds. Machiavelli and Thomas More were two influential humanists during the period of Renaissance, and both are the authors of The Prince and Utopia respectively. Thomas More and Machiavelli used different ways to address their thoughts on human nature. More created a perfect and equal Utopian community to synchronize Utopians thoughts

Many of the works of C.S. Lewis contain themes of Christianity and the relationship between man and the spiritual world. Written in the mid 1950s and towards the end of his life, Till We Have Faces is one of Lewis’ most intellectual works. Considered as his most mature work of writing, it is a retelling of the classical mythical story of Cupid and Psyche from the perspective of Orual, the older sister of Psyche. It prompts the reader to relate with Orual as the victim of the “gods,” then, when the

the concept about this new form of government, he wrote the document talking about the New World where the people rule instead of the nobles and kings. Two main differentiations are discussed: selfishness versus individualism and aristocracy versus democracy. The first idea that he compares is selfishness and individualism. In the very beginning of chapter two, Alexis de Tocqueville describes “how it is that in ages of equality [democracy] every man seeks for his opinion within himself”. In other

How many of us are truly kind to others? How many of us are kind only because of the material wealth that person possess? Is it kindness or selfishness? Alice Walker in the poem “Don’t Be like Those Who Ask for Everything” beautifully depicts the idea of how people come close to one another only if they are rich in wealth. She also says in the poem that those people or her friends who ask for everything will not be ready to offer anything in return. She indirectly mentions that the material wealth

Socrates believes every city and person has virtues within them, and it is the proper balance of the virtues that results in justice. The virtues of a city, Socrates mentions are, wisdom, courage, temperance and justice. He claims justice is the balance of all three virtues with everybody playing their proper role in society. The first virtue he examines is wisdom. Wisdom, Socrates say’s resides in the smallest class, the Rulers, because they posses the knowledge, “…which takes measures, not

Hannah Mackenzie 3.02B AP Language and Composition 1. According to the opening statement, what does every person realize at some moment in his/her education? Eventually every person will have to realize that being envious of one another makes you ignorant, and that everyone has imperfections and no one is perfect but everyone at one point must stop comparing themselves to everyone and accept themselves for who they are. 2. In the second paragraph, what does Emerson say is every person's

will present the critique of this movie, the multiple ethical dilemmas such as: Utilitarianism, virtue theory, and how the characters disregarded these ethics in their mission for wealth and success. First I will present a basic breakdown of the movie including: who the characters are, their roles, and plot summary. Next, I will present the arguments in regards to the theories of Utilitarianism and virtue theory, and how the film and characters conveyed them. From here I will show the breakdown