Ethical and Psychological Egoism - Essay Example

Egoism states that people act in their own self-interest. Psychological Egoism contends that people always act in their own self-interest, while Ethical Egoism states that people 'ought' to act in that fashion. Unlike Kantian ethics, which gives us a choice that is driven by its own moral good, Psychological Egoism leaves the actor no choice. It strips free will and turns our decisions over to a primal need to be self satisfied and self-fulfilled (Moseley 2006). Accordingly, every action we take is in our own self-interest.

Psychological Egoism has been rejected as a theory because it can not be proved, its opposite can not be disproved, and it is a closed theory. If every action we take is in our own self-interest, then no matter what we do we simply justify the action by altering the definition. Every action is driven by self-interest. Therefore all self-interest actions are actions and all actions are actions. It becomes a tautology and a closed theory. It has a weak version that allows for altruism. However, it disproves itself by stating that: A.

All actions are self-interest and B. Some actions may be altruistic. If B is true then A is false and vice-versa. Ethical Egoism states that we 'ought' to act in our own self-interest. This theory allows man to make a choice and only dictates what the choice 'should' be. It allows for emotion, judgment, and free will. Capitalism, as described by Ayn Rand, is based on Ethical Egoism (Bass n.d.). It contends that there is no greater good or larger entity outside the self. It also allows for altruism as a self-serving action.

The strong version states that it is always moral to act in self-interest and it is never moral not to. The weak version allows for a situation where not acting in your self-interest may be moral. This could include selflessly helping an accident victim or sharing your money with the poor. The Ethical version of Egoism states that we should always act in self-interest. If we follow the philosophy, we would always act in self-interest and would be acting in the same manner as the Psychological version, which says we always do.

However, the difference lies in the Ethical version's allowance for man's judgment. It is not driven by a deep psychological force, but rather by thought and reason. These are the contrasting motivational forces behind the theories. This difference is apparent when we are faced with a decision. According to the Psychological version, there is no decision to be made. We will take an action and it will be defined as self-interest. Ethical egoism gives us a choice. Its advocates believe that what is good for the individual is good for the family, country, and world.

It is this belief in individual attainment and satisfaction that supporters say fuels capitalism.Critics of Egoism contend that it leads to greed, avarice, and exploitation. Psychological Egoism, besides its unprovable circular logic, is faced with another problem. As Crouch (2007) says, "If our egoism is subconscious then we cannot even know by deep introspection if our actions are motivated by self-interest". Ethical Egoism is more generally accepted because it allows actions that may not be in self-interest.

It also accounts for the definition of self-interest. Taking a friend's money may seem to be self-interest, but the consequences are not. The Ethical version