In ordinary speech, selfishness (also called ‘egotism’, a word never used in philosophy).
As a philosophical doctrine egoism is either psychological egoism (for which see hedonism), or ethical egoism, which contrasts with universalism and altruism. Like them it is a form of consequentialism, and prescribes that everyone should always act so as to maximize his own happiness or welfare.
Egoism must be distinguished from the absurd doctrine, which has no name, that everyone should maximize the speaker’s happiness – but this very distinction leads to an objection to egoism: can I consistently prescribe egoism to you, since I shall be encouraging you to act in your interest and not in mine? Also seeking my own happiness may not be the best way of achieving it.
However, sometimes ‘enlightened egoism’ is advocated as a means rather than an end, on the grounds that for everyone to pursue their own interest will maximize the general prosperity.
Source:
H Sidgwick, The Methods of Ethics, book 2 (1874; 7th and final edn 1901)
Table of Contents
- 1 Videos
- 2 Related Products
- 2.1 Ego Is the Enemy
- 2.2 A Bible Not Borrowed from the Neighbors.: Essays and Aphorisms on Egoism
- 2.3 Egoism: The First Two Volumes 1890-1892 (Stand Alone) (Volume 8)
- 2.4 The Egoism
- 2.5 Protagoras. Nietzsche. Stirner.: Expositors of Egoism (Stand Alone Book 1090)
- 2.6 Egoism
- 2.7 egoism
- 2.8 Max Stirner's Egoism and Nihilism (Stand Alone)
- 2.9 The Ego and Its Own
- 2.10 A Strange Affair
Videos
Ego Is the Enemy
- Amazon Kindle Edition
- Holiday, Ryan (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
- 247 Pages - 06/14/2016 (Publication Date) - Portfolio (Publisher)
A Bible Not Borrowed from the Neighbors.: Essays and Aphorisms on Egoism
- Slaughter, Kevin I. (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
- 164 Pages - 12/23/2012 (Publication Date) - Underworld Amusements (Publisher)
Egoism: The First Two Volumes 1890-1892 (Stand Alone) (Volume 8)
- Replogle, Henry (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
- 212 Pages - 04/17/2017 (Publication Date) - Underworld Amusements (Publisher)
Protagoras. Nietzsche. Stirner.: Expositors of Egoism (Stand Alone Book 1090)
- Amazon Kindle Edition
- Lachmann, Benedict (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
- 73 Pages - 03/26/2020 (Publication Date) - Underworld Amusements (Publisher)
Egoism
- Audio CD – Audiobook
- 21st Circuitry Rec. (Publisher)
Max Stirner's Egoism and Nihilism (Stand Alone)
- Schiereck, Larry Alan (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
- 72 Pages - 01/12/2018 (Publication Date) - Underworld Amusements (Publisher)
The Ego and Its Own
- Stirner, Max (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
- 195 Pages - 10/16/2017 (Publication Date) - CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform (Publisher)
A Strange Affair
- Amazon Prime Video (Video on Demand)
- Judith Light, Jay Thomas, William Russ (Actors)
- Ted Kotcheff (Director) - Daniel Freudenberger (Writer) - Patricia Clifford (Producer)
- English (Playback Language)
- English (Subtitle)
Last update 2020-04-06. Price and product availability may change.