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Unit 4 Essay
Egoism is a theory of ethics that sets as its goal the benefit, pleasure, or greatest good of the oneself alone. It is contrasted with altruism, which is not strictly self-interested, but includes in its goal the interests of others as well. There are at least three different ways in which the theory of egoism can be presented.
Psychological egoism is the claim that humans by nature are motivated only by self-interest . Any act, no matter how altruistic it might seem, is actually motivated by some selfish desire of the agent (desire for reward, avoidance of guilt, personal happiness). This is a descriptive claim about human nature. Since the claim is universal, all acts are motivated by self interest. However, it could be proven to be false. It will be difficult to find an action that the psychological egoist will acknowledge as purely altruistic, however. There is almost always some benefit to ourselves in any action we choose. For example, if I helped my friend......

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