Saved Papers

Save papers so you can find them more easily!

Join Now

Get instant access to over 100,000 papers.

Join Now!

Psychological Egoism

Psychological Egoism: Fact or Fiction??
The descriptive claim made by Psychological Egoists is that humans, by nature, are motivated only by self-interest. Any act, no matter how altruistic it may seem on the outside is actually only a disguise for a selfish desire such as recognition, avoiding guilt, reward or sense of personal ‘goodness' or morality. For example, Mother Teresa is just using the poor for her own long-term spiritual gain. Being a universal claim, it could falter with a single counterexample. And being that I believe this claim to be bunk I will tell you why!
If I help a friend out of trouble, there is a chance that I would feel happy afterwards. But was that happiness the motive for my actions or just the result? I didn't save my friend in order to feel good; rather, I feel good because I helped my friend. Psychological egoism doesn't have an empirical or scientific leg to stand on. Furthermore, how can one know with any certainty that they are acting in their......


View the rest of this paper...

Approximate Word Count: 494
Approximate Pages: 2 (250 words per double-spaced page)

Why should you join Frat Files?

  • - It's safe, secure, and private.
  • - Instant access to over 100,000 papers. New papers are added hourly.
  • - Fast and reliable customer support.

Credit Card

Bank Account

PayPal

Similar Essays

  1. Ethical And Psychological Egoism

    Ethical and Psychological Egoism. ... Psychological egoism can be applied to various
    other theories and models such as the Social Darwinist theory. ...

  2. Psychological Egoism

    Psychological Egoism. Psychological egoism is the theory that voluntary actions
    are always motivated by a reward to oneself, whether directly or indirectly. ...

  3. Psychological Egoism

    Psychological Egoism. Psychological Egoism: Fact or Fiction?? ... Psychological egoism
    doesn't have an empirical or scientific leg to stand on. ...

  4. Psychological Egoism

    Psychological Egoism. Psychological Egoism: Fact or Fiction?? ... Psychological egoism
    doesn't have an empirical or scientific leg to stand on. ...

  5. Psychological Egoism: Every Person Is Oriented Towards His (Or Her ...

    Psychological Egoism: Every Person Is Oriented Towards His (or Her) Ow.
    Psychological Egoism: Every Person Is Oriented Towards His ...