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... of self-interest. Betz says that, I do not claim that gray areas inviting discrimination and argumentation do not emerge from the black and white of this settle, core ethics, but that we judge of the gray by referring from the black and white of the background of the settle, moral certainty (Donaldson, Werhane p. 40). The gray area is that it is in the self and best interest of B and K to liquidate each other in order to win the election. The black and white of the settle core ethics (it is wrong to kill) would judge of this gray area (self-interest); therefore one can assume that the gray area of liquidation is wrong. Adam Smith, viewed as the father of modern economics, wrote in his book The Wealth of Nations It is not from the benevolence of the butcher, the brewer, or the baker, that we expect our dinner, but from their regard to their own interests.
We address ourselves, not to their humanity but to their self-love (p. 18). Smiths butcher, brewer, and baker example is a self-interest behavior. Amartya Sen states that The butcher, the brewer, and the baker want our money, and we want their products, and the exchange benefits us all (Donaldson, Werhane p. 13). With this in mind, the pursuit of maximized happiness of B and K to win the election is certainly not wrong and in no way disproves the speculation of ethical egoism just because the theory can not solve a conflict of interest such as that. On another level if it were, in the best interest of a chemical company to dump their toxins in the local river because it is cheaper than disposing the toxins properly, other ethics theories would come into play to solve the problem.
The conflicts of interests here would be the chemical company saving a buck by dumping illegal substances in the river and the local peoples opposition because of the health problems and living creatures in the surrounding area. Ethical egoism would rightfully say that parties are correct in pursuing their own happiness (saving a buck), but in the gray area of their self-interest (dumping toxins in the river) would be judged by the black and white. This happens just as if the local police are over their heads in a hostile situation. Once they are out of their league another overpowering body will come in to supersede. Psychological egoism is a branch of egoism in which it is the claim that humans by nature are motivated only by self-interest (web). With this understanding, many will say that people always act in their self-interests, even though they may disguise their motivation by helping others.
If I helped my friend out of trouble, I may feel happy afterwards. It is this happiness that is the motive for my actions. Psychological egoism basically says, any act, no matter how altruistic (not strictly self-interested, but includes the self-interests of other as well) it might seem, is actually motivated by some selfish desire of agent (web). If psychological egoism were true, then ethical egoism would seem to be redundant.
If people inevitably were incapable of acting other than for their own self-interest, then there would be no need to urge them to do so (web). Why would theorists come up with a theory that humans already are prone in doing? The theory of altruism can be put into the same category as James Rachel's third argument in favor of ethical egoism. His argument was that Making other people the objects of ones charity is degrading to them: it robs them of their individual dignity and self-respect (Rachel's p. 85). Altruism is very demeaning like Rachel's argument. Friedrich Nietzsche, a nineteenth century German philosopher, argued that altruism is demeaning because it is a morality of the weak, amorality for slaves, for the herd, and for those who were afraid to assert themselves (web).
Nietzsche goes on to say, altruism is for people who value themselves so little that they put other people ahead of their own selves. Moreover it is deceptive in that it takes a weakness, failing to value oneself, and turns it into a desirable quality, altruism (web). Since the beginning of time each individual had to rely on his or herself to live each day. No one else was going to hunt food for them or raise as many cattle and crops as they can to make a buck. Would it be their fault because someone else did not have the drive to work as hard and make their life as he or she saw fit? Living in the extremely cynical world that we do today, most people would agree that many people to act in their self-interest.
Some are prone to act more selfishly than ethically, considering the world we live many are acting in the egotistical yet ethical way of self-interest. The United States economy is a dog-eat-dog system. Thousands of entrepreneurs take their risk opening their own business to offer to society, and very few make it because someone else may have beaten them at the idea or has cornered the market. It is not wrong that another has another has made it because of their self-interest in hard work to make money to get the lifestyle he or she has always wanted or maybe it is just to put food on the table every night for their family. Whatever the reason, one can see that everyone is egotistical in his or her own way, but there is nothing wrong in pursuing our very own happiness. 1.
Donaldson, Thomas and Werhane, Patricia H. Ethical Issues in Business. 6 th ed. New Jersey: Prentice Hall, Upper Saddle River, 1999. 2. Rachel's, James. The Elements of Moral Philosophy. 3 rd ed. New York: McGraw-Hill College, 1999. 3.
Smith, Adam. The Wealth of Nations. Ed. Edwin Cannan. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1976. 4. Kay, Charles D.
Varieties of Egoism. January 20, 1997. (web) 5. Chapter Four The Ethics of Selfishness: Egoism. October 20, 2000. (web). 6. Still, James. Lecture on ethical egoism.
October 2000. Bibliography:
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