Chapter 4: Egoism, Altruism, and the Social Contract
Wednesday, February 1, 2023
5:08 PM
Psychological Egoism
• Descriptive theory about our motivations and interests
• People usually act in their own self-interest (short term, long term)
• Difficult to assess the true motivations of people
• Theory of psychological egoism: Cannot be proved or disproved
Ethical Egoism
• Normative theory about what we ought to do
• About looking out for one's own interests
• Individual ethical egoism, universal ethical egoism
• Evaluating Ethical Egoism
o Grounding in psychological egoism
o Consistency or coherence
o Derivation from economic theory
o Conformity to commonsense moral views
The Moral Point of View
• Does one have to take a particular point of view to see things morally?
• An example of moral education by W.D. Falk
Why be Moral?
• An individual choice
• Self-interested reasons to be moral
• The sacrifice for morality
Plato: The Ring of Gyges
• The nature and origin of justice
• The example of Gyges' ring
• The judgement of the lives of the just and unjust
• Adeimantus presents his views
• Are Glaucon and Adeimantus correct?
Hobbes: Self-Love
• Self-Love
• Two types of bodily motion
o Vital
o Voluntary
• Object of appetite (desire) - good
• Object of aversion - evil
• No "greatest good" - only attainment of objects of desire
• Equality of ability an equality of attaining ends
• Diffidence toward (uncertainty toward) each other
• The three causes of quarreling
o Competition
o Diffidence
o Glory
• War and peace
Pinker: The Social Contract and Altruism
Wednesday, February 1, 2023
5:08 PM
Psychological Egoism
• Descriptive theory about our motivations and interests
• People usually act in their own self-interest (short term, long term)
• Difficult to assess the true motivations of people
• Theory of psychological egoism: Cannot be proved or disproved
Ethical Egoism
• Normative theory about what we ought to do
• About looking out for one's own interests
• Individual ethical egoism, universal ethical egoism
• Evaluating Ethical Egoism
o Grounding in psychological egoism
o Consistency or coherence
o Derivation from economic theory
o Conformity to commonsense moral views
The Moral Point of View
• Does one have to take a particular point of view to see things morally?
• An example of moral education by W.D. Falk
Why be Moral?
• An individual choice
• Self-interested reasons to be moral
• The sacrifice for morality
Plato: The Ring of Gyges
• The nature and origin of justice
• The example of Gyges' ring
• The judgement of the lives of the just and unjust
• Adeimantus presents his views
• Are Glaucon and Adeimantus correct?
Hobbes: Self-Love
• Self-Love
• Two types of bodily motion
o Vital
o Voluntary
• Object of appetite (desire) - good
• Object of aversion - evil
• No "greatest good" - only attainment of objects of desire
• Equality of ability an equality of attaining ends
• Diffidence toward (uncertainty toward) each other
• The three causes of quarreling
o Competition
o Diffidence
o Glory
• War and peace
Pinker: The Social Contract and Altruism
