Egoism

Egoism

Is a basically sum up the belief of an ethical egoist, an action is right only if it produces consequences that promote the individuals self-interest better than any other alternative action would. What is meant by self-interest may vary from individual to individual, but generally the list would include power, pleasure, money, security, reputation, and other such values. Self-interest cannot be used in terms of caring for others. That is, caring for others is not allowed under egoism, as the ultimate goal is to promote one's own self-interest. This is the one major implication (consequence) of this theory. An egoist cannot perform an action solely for the purpose of helping another individual, or because they care for that individual. If an egoist does something that happens to benefit another, that benefit is merely a byproduct of the promotion of the self-interest of the one taking the action. Simply put, under egoism, you cannot do something because you care. As far as application goes, this is a fairly easy theory to apply. The rules of application under egoism are simple, if an action promotes your self-interest, it is morally right and should be done. If an action does not promote your self-interest, it is morally wrong, and should not be done. Under egoism, the only thing you are concerned with is the outcome. Whatever happens on the way to the outcome has no significance. This is a case of the end justifying the means. The sticking point in the application of most theories is when two or more actions are morally right. Under egoism this problem is taken care of easily. If two actions promote your self-interest, you choose the one that benefits your self-interest the most. If two actions equally benefit your self-interest, you may choose either one. Under egoism, there are no moral dilemmas. This is because you cannot take the feelings of other people into account when weighing your options, whatever benefits your self-interest, no matter how many...