Psychological Egoism :: Psychology Selfishness Selfish Egoism essays

Psychological Egoism Psychological egoism is a reflex that every person has to orient themselves toward their own welfare. Through this, it follows that every one of his (or her) voluntary actions is some good to himself. If someone gives away the last piece of bread to someone else, it is because they want to look like a better person. Due to the fact that they would give away the last piece of bread. Human nature is completely and exclusively egoistic. People are entirely selfish and devoid of any genuine feelings of sympathy, benevolence, or sociability. They are always thinking of themselves in everything they do.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Each individual is preoccupied exclusively with the gratification of personal desires (felicity or happiness).Ones success in maintaining a continuous flow of gratification is the means of ones happiness.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The object of the voluntary acts of every man is some good to himself. Whenever man renounces his right it is either in consideration for some right reciprocally transferred to himself, or for some other good he hopes for from the outcome. This presents us with the old saying: "Do unto others as you would want them to do unto you."   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Social organization originates out of self interest. All society is for gain, or for glory. It is not like we think it is—for love of our fellows. Instead it is for self preservation. It is a sort of social contract. In a state of nature we are at war with each other and life is solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short. In a natural state individuals are in equal powers. Voluntary collective organization is the most effective way for individuals to utilize their powers.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Man should be allowed the right to use all means or actions to preserve himself. For every man is desirous of what is good to him, and shuns what is evil, but chiefly the chiefest of natural evil, which is death. The right to bear arms. In conclusion, I would like to say that? Psychological Egoism-- This is the claim that humans by nature are motivated only by self-interest . Any act, no matter how altruistic it might seem, is actually motivated by some selfish desire of the agent (e.g., desire for reward, avoidance of guilt, personal happiness). This is a descriptive claim about human nature. Since the claim is universal--all acts are motivated by self interest--it could be proven false by a single counterexample (Weston, rule #11). It will be difficult to find an action that the psychological egoist will acknowledge as purely altruistic, however. There is almost always some benefit to ourselves in any action we choose.

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Reproduced from 50 Activities for Teambuilding @ Mike Woodcock, Cower, Aldershot, 1988 CAVE RESCUE BRIEFING SHEET You have been called to an emergency meeting as one of your company’s experiments in a cave has gone badly wrong. Six volunteers have been taken into a cave system in a remote part of the country, connected only by a radio link to the research station by the cave entrance. It was intended that the volunteers would spend four days underground, but they have been trapped by falling rocks and rising water.The only rescue team available tells you that rescue will be extremely difficult and only one person can be brought out each hour with the equipment at their disposal. It is likely that the rapidly rising water will drown some of the volunteers before rescue  can take place. The volunteers are aware of the dangers of their plight. They have contacted the research  station  using radio link and said that they are unwilling to take a decision as to the sequence b y which they will be rescued. The responsibility for making this decision now rests with your committee.Lifesaving equipment will arrive in fifty minutes at the cave entrance and you will need to advise the team of the order for rescue by completing the ranking sheet. The only information you have available is drawn from the project files and is reproduced on the volunteer personal details sheet. You may use any criteria  you think fit to help you make  a decision. Volunteer 1: Helen Helen is 34 years old and a housewife. She has four children aged between 7 months and 8 years. Her hobbies are ice skating and cooking. She lives in a pleasant house in Gloucester, and was born in England.Helen is known to have developed a romantic and sexual relationship with another volunteer (Owen). Volunteer 2: Tozo Tozo is 19 years  old and a sociology student at Keele University. She is the daughter of wealthy Japanese parents who live in Tokyo. Her father is an industrialist who is also a national authority on traditional Japanese mime theatre. Tozo is unmarried but has several high-born suitors as she is outstandingly attractive. She has recently been the subject of a TV documentary on Japanese womanhood and flower arranging. Volunteer 3: JobeJobe is a man of 41 years and was born in Central Africa. He is a minister of religion whose life’s work has been devoted  to the social and  political evolution  of African peoples. Jobe is a member of the Communist Party and has paid several visits to the USSR in recent years. He is married with seven children whose ages range from 6 years to 19 years. His hobby is playing in a jazz band. Volunteer 4:Owen Owen is an unmarried man of 27 years. As a short-commission army officer he spent part of his service in Northern Ireland where, as an undercover agent, he received special recognition.Since returning to civilian life he has been unsettled and drinking has become a persistent problem. At present he is a Youth Ad venture Leader, devoting much energy to helping young people and leading caving groups. His recreation is driving sports cars. He lives in Brecon, South Wales. Volunteer 5: Paul Paul is a man of 42 who has been divorced for six years. His ex-wife is now happily re-married. He was born in Scotland, but now lives in Richmond, Surrey. Paul works as a medical research scientist at the Hammersmith Hospital and he is recognized as a world authority on the treatment of rabies.He has recently developed a low-cost treatment which could be self administered. Much of this research data is still in his working notebooks. Unfortunately, Paul has experienced some emotional difficulties in recent years and has twice been convicted of indecent behaviour. The last occasion was 11 months ago. His hobbies are classical music, opera and sailing. Volunteer 6: Edward Edward is a man of 59 years. He is General Manager of a factory producing rubber belts for machines. The factory employs 71 persons. He is a prominent in local society.He is married with two children who have their own families and have moved away from his home. Edward has recently returned from Poland where he was personally responsible for promoting a contract to supply large numbers of  industrial belts over a five year period. This contract, if signed, would mean work for another 25 people. Edward’s hobbies include collecting antique guns and he intends to write a book about Civil War Armaments on his retirement. He is  also a strong cricket supporter. CAVE RESCUE REVIEW SHEET ORDER OF RESCUE -INDIVIDUAL RANKINGS NAME 1 2 3 4 5 6 ORDER OF RESCUE- GROUP RANKINGS NAME 1 2 3 4 5 6 Download

Jane Austen s Pride And Prejudice - 1418 Words

Marriage is a fundamental topic in Jane Austen’s famous novel, Pride and Prejudice. Readers become invested in the lives of the Bennet sisters who are constantly dreaming of relationships. Still unknown, however, is Austen’s reason for writing this novel that is so extremely concentrated on marriage. Some critics believe that Austen wrote the novel to portray how different social classes affected the lives of women such as the Bennet sisters. Others, however, believe that the novel was written to portray what unhealthy versus successful marriages look like. Upon much research, it can be proved that Jane Austen uses marriage throughout Pride and Prejudice to fight society’s ideas on marriage, proposing that marriage should be the†¦show more content†¦Collins is entitled to the family’s entire estate upon Mr. Bennet’s death. Elizabeth, however, does not love him nor ever could. She is often regarded as being too stubborn, socially rebelli ous, and judgmental, viewing those who do not share her same beliefs concerning marriage in a condescending light. This proves true when Elizabeth’s dear friend, Charlotte Lucas, in turn marries the spurned Mr. Collins solely for financial security. Elizabeth disapproves of her friend’s shallow and conformist decision, causing her to so eagerly court and proceed to marry him.† The parallels between Charlotte and Elizabeth represent the woman society accepts versus the woman that all women want to be. Charlotte had little to no option of what she wanted to do due to the reality of her life. Elizabeth, though in the same situation, chooses to take the risk of not marrying and is criticized for from almost every member of her family. Marriage is an action in which Austen uses to show impactful change, whether the marriage is positive, as in Elizabeth’s, or negative, as in Charlotte’s. These scholars regard Jane Austen’s presentation of marria ge as a challenge against the restrictions on women and demonstrate how impactful marriage is on an individual. Another idea that critics have is that Jane Austen was not attempting to show the effects of marriage on an individual but rather how social classes played a