PHIL 1550 Lecture Notes - Lecture 4: Egotism, Consequentialism, Australian Council Of Trade Unions
26 Jan 2015
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January 16, 2015: normative ethics (continued: psychological egoism (continued) whatever action we perform, whether good or bad, is ultimately for our own self-interest. Irrational to cling to psy-e if there are actual examples of altruism. If everyone were to mind his own business & tend to his own needs, then everyone would be better off. If a person didn"t consent to being helped or we don"t owe him/her no reparation for harm, we"re not morally obligated to help that person. Ethical egoists believe our moral duties have only one source: self-interest: best argument for ethical egoism. If you are morally required to do something, then you have good reason to do it. Eth-e is self-regarding ethics; it tells us how to treat ourselves but not how to treat other people, as it states that we should only do that which promotes ourselves. It allows for rape, murder, and theft if it gratifies a person"s self- interest.
