Ethical Egoism and Psychological Egoism

Ethical Egoism

• Ethical egoism assumes psychological egoism, which states that individuals always seek their own greatest good, whether it's pleasure, happiness, knowledge, power, self-realization, or a mixed life.
• According to this theory, "self-love" is the only basic principle in human nature, and "ego-satisfaction" is the final aim of all activity.
• One cannot logically infer an ethical conclusion from a psychological premise, but it is reasonable to propose that we ought to do what is for our own greatest good.

Utilitarianism

• Utilitarianism is a universal teleological system that aims to maximize goodness in society, promoting the greatest happiness for the greatest number.
• This theory was developed by Jeremy Bentham and John Stuart Mill.
• Bentham's utilitarianism involves maximizing pleasure and minimizing suffering, with a focus on quantitative measurements and impartial application of the principle.
• Mill's version, known as eudaimonistic utilitarianism, distinguishes happiness from mere sensual pleasure and emphasizes higher-order pleasures or satisfactions.

Types of Utilitarianism

• Act-utilitarianism: an act is right if and only if it results in as much good as any available alternative.
• Rule-utilitarianism: an act is right if and only if it is required by a rule that is itself a member of a set of rules whose acceptance would lead to greater utility for society than any available alternative.

Altruism

• Altruism is a theory that holds that an action is right if the consequences of that action are favorable to all except the actor.
• Psychological altruism argues that humans have an inherent psychological capacity to show benevolence to others.
• Altruists act to increase other people's pleasure, even if it decreases their own pleasure and causes themselves pain.

Principle of Autonomy (Immanuel Kant)

• The principle of autonomy states that we should consider ourselves to be members in the universal realm of ends.
• Every rational being must act as if they were always a legislating member in the universal kingdom of ends.
• This principle considers the consequences of our actions on everyone else in the universal realm.

Criticisms and Limitations

• The categorical imperative can be overly rigid and may not account for exceptions and complexities in morality.
• Morality is often too complex for these theories to fully work.

Ross's Prima Facie Duties

• Prima facie duties are moral guidelines that dictate what we should do when other moral factors are not considered.
• Examples of prima facie duties include the duty to keep promises, to avoid harm, and to promote the common good.
• Actual duty is the action that one ought to perform after considering and weighing all the prima facie duties involved.