Tags
Allah, Anger, Are You Trapped by Egos, Beauty, Ego, Egoism, Ethics, God, Happiness, Hate, Heart, History of Philosophy, Human, Husband, justsimplyinlove.wordpress.com, Life, Lord, Love, Minimalist Egoism, Minimalist or Rational Egoism, Philosophy, Psychologica Egoism, Psychology, Recomendations, Relationship, religion, Sufi's, Types of Egoism, Types of Egoism 01of 07, Types of Egoism 02 of 07, Types of Egoism 03 of 07, Types of Egoism 04 of 07, Types of Egoism 05 of 07, Uncategorized, Victory, war, Wars, Wife, Wisdom, Woman, Women, World, Youth
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.
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. For example, if I helped my friend out of trouble, I may feel happy afterwards. But is that happiness the motive for my action or just a result of it? Perhaps the psychological egoist fails to distinguish the beneficial consequences of an action from the self-interested motivation. After all, why would it make me happy to see my friend out of trouble if I didn’t already have some prior concern for my friend’s best interest? Wouldn’t that be altruism?
Critics have also stated that proponents of psychological egoism often confuse the satisfaction of their own desires with the satisfaction of their own self-regarding desires. Even though it is true that every human being seeks his own satisfaction, this sometimes may only be achieved via the well-being of his neighbor. An example of this situation could be phoning for an ambulance when a car accident has happened. In this case, the well-being of the caller depends on the well-being of the victim. Explanations of such events are not, however, entirely inconsistent with psychological egoism. German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche, himself a psychological egoist, explained, in the 133 of his The Dawn, that in such cases compassionate impulses arise out of the projection of our identity unto the object of our feeling. He gives some hypothetical examples as illustrations to his thesis: that of a person, feeling horrified after witnessing a personal feud, coughing blood, or that of the impulse felt to save a person who drowns in the water. In such cases, according to Nietzsche, there comes into play unconscious fears regarding our own safety. The suffering of another person is felt as a threat to our own happiness and sense of safety, because it reveals our own vulnerability to misfortunes, and thus, by relieving it, one could also ameliorate those personal sentiments.
2 OF 7
RELATED ARTICLES
- Are You Trapped by Egos – Types of Egoism 01 of 07 (justsimplyinlove.wordpress.com)
- Are You Trapped by Egos – Types of Egoism 02 of 07 (justsimplyinlove.wordpress.com)
- Are You Trapped by Egos – Types of Egoism 03 of 07 (justsimplyinlove.wordpress.com)
- Are You Trapped by Egos – Types of Egoism 04 of 07 (justsimplyinlove.wordpress.com)
- Are You Trapped by Egos – Types of Egoism 05 of 07 (justsimplyinlove.wordpress.com)
- Are You Trapped by Egos – Types of Egoism 06 of 07 (justsimplyinlove.wordpress.com)
Related articles
- Are You Trapped by Egos – Types of Egoism 04 of 07 (justsimplyinlove.wordpress.com)
- Are You Trapped by Egos – Types of Egoism 05 of 07 (justsimplyinlove.wordpress.com)
- Are You Trapped by Egos – Types of Egoism 06 of 07 (justsimplyinlove.wordpress.com)
I am perhaps too biased, being myself, to judge my actions. There are many times where it seems as if even the most selfless act I take might still be an unwittingly self-serving choice. I tend to operate around the concept that it is more fulfilling to help someone else be fulfilled than to pursue only personal fulfillment, but that statement is in itself somewhat selfish. I do believe that there is the possibility of humans being motivated primarily by forces which are not selfish. Perhaps it is not relevant that all acts could potentially be interpreted selfishly. Perhaps the real importance is the primary beneficiary and our priority level when acting. Can any act be potentially selfish or giving depending on the inner thoughts and unseen intents of the person? Hmmmm such great content to consider. Great post!
Thank you so much for an opinion,as you know self interest is very common among ou species. It is quite strange we glorify our interpretation, one cannot be its own judge and it all interrelated to an healthy brain or perhaps unhealthy. I am grateful for your common thought it has a great value indeed.
chaotiqual said:
chaotiqual reblogged this on chaotiqual.
Thank you for a visit
Some good actions hurt… I think that good selfless acts of kindness do exist.
Good thought as act of kindness is important, thank you so much for paying a visit
Hmm… this reminds me of a relative of mine.