Philosophy 210 Chapter 5 Note: Ethical Egoism James Jung Common sense morality: requires we balance our own

our own interest with the interest of others Ethical Egoism challenges this common sense view, arguing that it is naive and even unethical: each person ought to pursue his or her own self-interest exclusively Psychological Egoism says: each person does in fact pursue his or her self-interest above all othersring of Gyges PE (Psychological Egoism) comes in different strengths All human actions are aimed at avoiding some personal loss or gaining some personal benefit (or both), either in the short term or in the long run (or both) PE is a psychological theory about human motivation that says we always pursue our desires to bring about our own personal gain first and foremost People who help others are just doing what they most want to do But this is false: sometimes we do not do what we most want to do, but do what we believe we most ought to do.