Psychological Egoism
Is it possible to be unselfish?
Psychological Egoism – all actions are selfish in nature
Altruism is a myth It is not possible to act unselfishly All examples of altruism have a deeper
meaning eg David gives money to charity to go to heaven
All action is ultimately ‘self centered’ All actions have selfish
motivations/intentions Watch video – psychological egoism 2
(1min) Discuss
Thomas Hobbes
All human behaviour is motivated by 2 impulses
“seek pleasure and avoid pain’
He gave two examples 1. Charity - Whoever is giving to
charity is ultimately showing off their superiority
2. Pity – Far from being able to empathise with other people’s sufferings, Hobbes believed it was a way of reminding ourselves that the same thing could happen to us.
Epicurus
Go online and find out about Epicurus’ view of human behaviour – 20 minutes
Read info in booklet – watch 10 minutes from video
Brainstorm
Nietzsche
Go online and find out about Nietzsches view of human behaviour – 20 minutes
Read info in booklet – Or use the wiki
Notes on 1. The Genealogy of morals 2. Beyond good and evil
Brainstorm
Two arguments in favour of psychological egoism
1. All actions whether selfish or unselfish amounts to the person doing what they most want to do – Action is based on desire
2. Acting unselfishly produces a sense of self satisfaction in the person who does them
Watch video – psychological egoism 1 (1.45)
James Rachels
James Rachels argues against psychological egoism
He uses the following points to attempt to show how humans are capable of altruistic behaviour
The arguments against psychological egoism – 1. Acting against desire
We sometimes act against our wishes and desires – Eg World War 1 trenches
There are times when we act against our desires
We act because we ‘ought’ to Eg Carrying out a promise to do
something even when we don’t want to do it
2. Helping others is what makes us unselfish – selfishness is defined by the object of our desire
Argument for Psychological Egoism - All actions whether selfish or unselfish amounts to the person doing what they most want to do – action is based on desire
However, Rachels argues …
Selfishness is defined by object of desire
If Jones wants to sacrifice going to the cinema to donate $10 to help children in the Congo that is precisely what makes him unselfish
Selfishness is defined by the object of a want/desire If I want to help others and act on that want, then I am
not selfish
Argument for psychological egoism - Acting unselfishly produces a sense of self satisfaction in the person who does them
However, Rachels argues …..
3. Unselfish people derive satisfaction out of helping others
Isn’t the unselfish person precisely the one who does derive happiness from helping others – Selfish people do not
If I get satisfaction from helping starving people – This just shows that I am ‘good hearted’
3. Helping others is precisely what makes us unselfish
In short
Ultimately Rachel’s argues
People act from a great variety of motives – greed, anger, lust, love, hate etc
Human actions are multi-layered in different colours of grey and not just black and white
Written work – Questions
Outline the theory of psychological egoism – Include Hobbes and Epicurus in your answer
Examine James Rachel’s arguments in opposition to this theory
Complete for homework
Discuss – video clip – with reference to psychological egoism