Question

briefly explain why ethical inquiry is either impossible or very different than commonly believed if psychological egoism is true. Articulate the most powerful challenge you can to psychological egoism. In the course of doing so, raise an objection to your own argument on behalf of an intelligent psychological egoist. Then respond to that challenge.

Answer 1

Psychological egoism is a concept in psychology according to which every human action that is done is purely motivated by self interest and even the cases of prosocial act and altruism are done with same. According to this when a person decides to help another person the basic motive behind their actions is some kind of self interest.

When we try to do ethical enquiry of psychological egoism we have to face many problems since we are the one who created the different concepts of what is ethical or not, what is good and what is bad but humans action and views are purely subjective and what must be correct according to one person might not be good according to other. Keeping this in mind and further going to a concept of philosophy where egoism is theory according to which one’s actions should be purely self motivated.

When we try to raise a challenge to psychological egoism that very first question that comes to our mind is that if all human actions are done according to self interest than what is the motive of a mother behind all the things she do for her child, what about all those peoples who leave their homes and lives just to help the poor and disadvantage people.

And to this a psychological egoist can raise the point that when a mother is doing things for her child she is also doing a self motivated behaviour since she might expect that when in future child grows up to be successful person than he/she will look after her, also the persons who are helping the poor and disadvantage are although sacrificing their lives but they are getting a spiritual level sense of completeness by doing all such good deeds, since we have been told from our childhood that doing good to others gives a feeling of self satisfaction and happiness.