Author Question: In his arguments against psychological egoism, James Rachels exposed three underlying confusions ... (Read 114 times)

Marty · **on:** Jul 14, 2018

In his arguments against psychological egoism, James Rachels exposed three underlying confusions that account for the persistence of this view over time.

Explain psychological egoism and the three confusions.

Question 2

What is ethical egoism?

What are the differences between the views of Ayn Rand and Nietzsche?

kescobar@64 · **Reply #1 on:** Jul 14, 2018

Answer to Question 1

- Psychological egoism: The view that we are compelled by our psychological makeup always to pursue our self-interest above all else.
- Rachels pointed out that these confusions are false:
- Confusion 1: The idea that selfishness means the same thing as self-interest.
- Confusion 2: The idea that every action is done either from self-interest or from other-regarding motives.
- Confusion 3: The idea that a concern for one's own welfare is incompatible with any genuine concern for the welfare of others.

Answer to Question 2

- Ethical egoism: The view that we act morally when we pursue our own self-interest, that the highest moral value for all humans is to pursue their own happiness.
- According to Nietzsche, people who are weak fear and envy the strong individualists and resent their independence, their passion, their creative visions. Parasitic second-handers constrain the strong individualists by creating a perverse system of morality that villainizes the true individual and celebrates the weak altruist devoted to self-sacrifice. The pursuit of self-interest is branded as selfishness, whereas the unnatural denial of self-interest is considered to be a saintly virtue.
- According to Rand, t is our moral duty to pursue our own rational self-interest. The virtue of altruism that traditional ethical theories and religions recommend is actually a vice, because it encourages people not to pursue their own self-interest as their top priority. According to Rand, the self-sacrifice associated with altruism discourages us from fulfilling our greatest potential. She claimed that pursuing your self-interest means creating a value system that is not destructive to yourself, nor is it destructive to others.