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Research Paper on Psychological Egoism

Research Paper on Psychological Egoism

Psychological Egoism is a descriptive theory about human motivation that we actually only ever look out for our own interests (Baillie). Therefore, human are selfish in every act they do; and there is no such thing as altruism, concern for others (Rachels 70). For example, an egoist will say that Mother Theresa is helping the poor because she wants to get the worlds attention or such. However is that what she really wants?

Many people appreciate this theory due to its simplicity. However, I believe that in some ways Psychological Egoism is true, but not always. I believe that there are different conditions for each person and each condition will yield different conclusions. In this paper, I will argue that there are no good arguments for Psychological Egoism by criticizing some of the arguments in its favor.

The first argument in favor of Psychological Egoism is “In all voluntary action you do what you want. When you do what you want your action is therefore selfish” (Baillie). So, if I want to play soccer but I chose to help my friend with his homework then, I am selfish because I did what I desired. In another way, all my acts will be selfish, no such thing as altruism.

This argument has two weaknesses. First, not all our acts are results of what we want (Rachels 73). For example, taking an antibiotic to relieve the pain or even do a surgery. So, we achieved a pain-free although we did not want to do a surgery. Another example is being ordered from your parents to do something such as cleaning your room not to be grounded. Therefore, if the premises are false then the argument goes wrong.

The other weakness, the conclusion would not follow from the premises. If I want other people to be happy then, that is not selfish even though I wanted that circumstance. On that account, being selfish depends on the nature of my act in knowing what it is that I want (Rachels 75). Therefore, this argument is wrong due to not following the premises.

The second argument in favor of Psychological Egoism is “Allegedly unselfish actions make the agent feel good about themselves, or give the satisfaction, so this satisfaction was the real motive behind the action” (Baillie). For instance, a person feels good when doing voluntary work; or a person...

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Category:   Psychology

Length:   5 pages (1,128 words)

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