1C Ethical egoism

Question 1

What is ethical egoism?

Answer 1

• A meta-ethical investigation focused on the agent to give an understanding of norm/behaviour
• Looks at the motives behind an individual’s actions
• Do we behave in a manner purely driven by self-interest?
• Opposed to altruism

Question 2

In 1928, H.A. Pritchard gave a lecture entitled ‘Duty and Interest’, in which he questioned the true motive behind a dutiful action. How did Richard Norman summarise Pritchard’s argument?

Answer 2

• “Pritchard’s central argument is this: if justice is advocated on the grounds that it is advantageous to the just person, it is thereby reduced to a form of self-interest.”

Question 3

What is the distinction between ethical egoism and psychological egoism?

Answer 3

• ee = normative view that all action ought to be motivated by self-interest
• pe = descriptive view that all human action is motivated by self-interest

Question 4

Why does ethical egoism not necessarily mean that we always act selfishly in the narrow understanding of the word?

Answer 4

• Acting out of self-interest can be amalgamated with an action that demonstrates concern for others
• Involves a complex consideration of both short/long-term benefits (an action that overtly benefits another in the short-term may have the covert purpose of self-benefit in the long term) e.g. charity
- Short-term self-interest: interests served immediately my baking one feel good about doing the right thing
- Long-term self-interest: developing character/earning merit for afterlife

Question 5

What does Frankena say about ethical egoism being unselfish?

Answer 5

• “ee is an ethical theory, not a pattern of action or trait of character, and is compatible with being self-effacing and unselfish in practice”

Question 6

Give the quote from the 18th Century economist, Adam Smith, that Peter Cave cited.

Answer 6

• “It is not from the benevolence of the butcher…that we expect our dinner, but from their regard to their own interest”

Question 7

To what extent did Max Stirner accept psychological egoism?

Answer 7

• He recognised that the role of what others identify as self-interest in making moral decisions
• Argued that self-interest incorrectly identified the true nature of the ‘self’
• Once the true self = realised, assertions of p.e. = weakened

Question 8

What are the five stages to Max Stirner’s argument?

Answer 8

1) Self-interest = always slave to something other than the ‘self’ ∴ not true s.i.
2) We do not make free moral choices in relation to r./philo. systems of moral behaviour as such systems control us
3) True egoism = realising ‘own’ and ‘owness’ by not being driven by r./philo/materialistic frameworks that enslave us
4) True self needs to be free from constraints of external ideologies ∴ unique
5) Only way to engage one’s own uniqueness is to cooperate with other unique individuals by being part of a union of egoists

Question 9

Explain Stirner’s idea of the delusion of the past and the true nature of self-interest: the ego (Einzige)

Answer 9

• “The habit of the r. way of thinking has biased our mind so…that we deem ourselves depraved by nature, born devils”
• “I am everything to myself and I do everything on my own account.”
• Stirnerian response to being asked for money by poor people: ‘I give money reluctantly’
- I am not free as I do what my conscience tells me is my obligation, despite me not wanting to. To not help those in need would mean I am bad and not fulfilling my duty

Question 10

What has Stirner been accused of advocating?

Answer 10

• Amoralism

Question 11

What does the Stanford Encyclopedia say about Stirner being accused of amoralism?

Answer 11

• This is not entirely true as he rejects fixed moral obligations and not values
• “his rejection of the legitimacy of moral claims is not to be confused with a denial of the propriety of all normative judgement”

Question 12

Explain Stirner’s idea of the future of the self being to realise owness (Eigenheit).

Answer 12

• You must be freed from all obliation to any coscious or subconscious ideal and realise your ‘owness’
• “I am my own when I am master of myself, instead of being mastered either by sesuality or by anything else”
∴ in response to giving money, Stirner would argue: ‘I do as I please/will’
∴ I am free ∵ I am my own person (owness) and not slave to obligation - this is true freedom and self-interest

Question 13

Explain Stirner’s idea of the future of the self being to activate uniqueness (Einzig).

Answer 13

• The implications of what owness truly means can only be realised through appreciation of oneself as unique
• Being unique = individual freedom from all external conceptual theories
• Being unique does not mean everyone = equal; equality = another conceptual framework; the true egoist has a true appreciation of their self, which inevitably, being unique, cannot be equated with another

Question 14

What does Stirner reject?

Answer 14

• Egoism as a means for material gain - “one-sided, narrow egoism”

Question 15

Explain Stirner’s idea of the union of egoists.

Answer 15

• Only way forward = special community unprincipled other than having in common the recognition of thr uniqueness of the egoist - the union of egoists
• Society should be composed with the idea of cooperation prevailing in recognition of one’s uniqueness so that one’s true identity = asserted
• The union would respect uniqueness of each member and support them in their unique pursuit of individual goals, whilsy having no shared final ends
• The union exists purely to help each individual achiever unique goals

Question 16

Explain the challenge of the difficulty in understanding Stirner’s work.

Answer 16

• Non-methodical, random, chaotic, repetitive
• Many philosophers struggle to grasp it
• Stanford Encylopedia: “The plurailty of interpretations of his own work might well have…encouraged him in his view that there could be no legitimate constraints on the meaning of a text”

Question 17

Explain the challenge of the destruction of a community ethos.

Answer 17

• ee promotes the will of individual over the will of collective people; the state+laws guard expoitation of individuals over others
• Stirner would respond that this very aim to free people is the formula that enslaves them; although this claim has been interpreted as supporting anarchy and official opposition to the state
• Stanford: “Whilst individuals have no duty to overthrow the state, Stirner does think that the state will eventually collapse as a result of the spread of egoism.”

Question 18

Explain the challenge of social injustices and bigotry if individuals put their own interests first.

Answer 18

• Pursuing one’s own interests will inevitably be a conflict of interests with others and inevitably lead to social injustices and bigotry
• As one individual accumulates money, others have less
• How can society live according to the demands/needs specific to countless individuals without injustice and bigotry?