Ethical Egoism: Service - Essay Example

I did my service learning on Single Stop in Miami Dade College Kendal Campus. Single Stop is a non-profit organization that helps students in various ways. Services offered in this organization include benefits screening, financial counseling, tax preparation services, legal assistance, and referral services. My service involved making an appt for students that qualified for some benefits and passing fliers around the college, and I also worked in the file room and the front desk. Doing service has numerous benefits.

It presents a platform for individuals to socialize and as well make lasting relationships with others, learn and acquire a range of skills and knowledge, gain experience in a range of fields, acquire the ability to work in teams, learn novels ways of ensuring motivation in the workplace, and also have a clear understanding on various problems that affect members of the community. In my service, I was able to achieve all these benefits. There are also costs incurred by an individual in the course of doing service.

Engaging too much personal time in doing service leaves little time for an individual to conduct other things of benefit. Spending a lot of time helping others also means that one does not have enough time to do quality work to earn a living. According to Shafer-Landau, "Ethical Egoism is the idea that each person ought to pursue his or her own self-interest exclusively" (194). Additionally, Shafer-Landau asserts that "Regardless of how we do behave, ethical egoism says we have no moral duty except to do what is best for ourselves" (194).

This notion denotes the fact that individuals are not adequately equipped to address the problems other people are facing. It is difficult to comprehend the desires of other people as well as their individual needs hence it is only right to do what one understands best, and this is focusing on oneself. From the ethical egoism perspective, my service is morally wrong as it does not pursue my self-interests. However, I do not agree with the egoist's viewpoint that individuals are doing something morally wrong when they help others.

In my point of view, we are brought up and taught to respect our traditions and customs. Since the time of our forefathers, people have always conducted their obligations or vocations together as communities. The projected results were expected to help all individuals and hence people were obligated to help others in a bid to achieve a common or collective goal. All religions also encourage people to help others and as well consider the feelings of others. Passing fliers around the college informs students on various issues, and working in the file room is a morally correct action as arranging files in a systematic order makes it easier for other people to find them. In a nutshell, helping others is imperative as it benefits all people within society.