I myself am a staunch egoist. I was wondering whether other members of the forum subscribe to egoist or altruist philosophy.

Psychologically, I think that everyone is more egoistic than altruistic, although it varies person to person and sometimes it depends on the situation.

Some people are just better at hiding their egoism than others.


Edit: Oh, wait. I got mixed up with psychological egoism and ethical egoism.

Quote:Ethical egoism is the normative ethical position that moral agents ought to do what is in their own self-interest. It differs from psychological egoism, which claims that people can only act in their self-interest. Ethical egoism also differs from rational egoism, which holds that it is rational to act in one's self-interest.

Ethical egoism contrasts with ethical altruism, which holds that moral agents have an obligation to help others. Egoism and altruism both contrast with ethical utilitarianism, which holds that a moral agent should treat one's self (also known as the subject) with no higher regard than one has for others (as egoism does, by elevating self-interests and "the self" to a status not granted to others). But it also holds that one should not (as altruism does) sacrifice one's own interests to help others' interests, so long as one's own interests (i.e. one's own desires or well-being) are substantially equivalent to the others' interests and well-being.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethical_egoism


I think I'm still an egoist, though.

If we're talking about a philosophical posiiton as an idea, I think altruism is the best of the three. If I'm CAPABLE of putting others before myself, it means I likely have a greater capacity for handling my own suffering than others do.

If we're talking about the position that would actually be inferred from my behavior, I'd put myself halfway between egoism and utilitarianism (depending on my relationship to the other parties involved in a moral decision).

Neither one holds weight on its own. As a social species, altruism plays a major role in our behavior, but as a self-conscious species, so does ego.

Pure Egoism is an overly simplistic explantation for the complexity of human behavior and fails to explain a multitude of common and uncommon human actions, as well as making multiple unjustified assumptions about human motivations.

Pure Altruism is dangerously naive and demonstrably false.

GAH! Egoism and Ayn Rand and this idea that doing everything that is good for you as somehow moral exhausts me. Self-sacrifice is more valuable to humanity and the original definition of courageous.

Please vote in the poll!

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Egoism is what drives people. My copy the Ego & His Own just arrived in the mail, can't wait to read it!

I would like to have voted, but you left out eudaimonic virtue ethics as a choice.

Altruism. Even though my education background would force me into prisoner's dilemma, I say fuck it to being selfish.

Altruism to all sentient beings of which I am an equal member.

bumpity