CONTENT:
Using Psychological Egoism to Explain Human BehaviorNameUniversity Using Psychological Egoism to Explain Human BehaviorIt is widely thought that human behavior is informed by moral principles for the most part. People think before they act, and they often act in a manner that other reasonable persons can approve as morally acceptable. For instance, lending a neighbor a hammer is moral because good neighbors help each other. However, the theory of psychological egoism suggests that people`s actions are not informed by moral values, but self interests. In that case, the person who lends his neighbor a hammer does so perhaps not because it is moral to help one another, but because he hopes to create good relations so that next time he will be helped in return. Therefore, he lends out the hammer to serve his future self-interests. In this essay I discuss the tenets of psychological egoism, and why it is a persuasive explanation of human behavior. I argue that psychological egoism is a persuasive viewpoint in understanding human actions because it points to the reality of human life. However, it has a weakness since it does not have universal standards of interpreting human behavior in different situations.The theory of psychological egoism argues that human behavior is motivated by the pursuit of self interests. It states that “Purely altruistic and benevolent actions and desires do not exist†(Feinberg, 1958, 9. 494). People mind the welfare of others only when it advances their own well-being, happiness, or interests. For instance, business companies engage in social responsibility projects because it not only promotes their public image, but also helps to market their products to the community benefiting from such projects. The theory, therefore, is not a normative view that states what ought to be the proper or morally/ethically acceptable human behavior, but a descriptive view that explains what actually motivates human behavior. Similarly, psychological egoism does not prescribe the ethical ideals, values or principles that should inform human actions and behavior. Instead, it describes the “psychological facts†behind people`s actions and behaviors. For instance, people rationalizes that doing what others would see as good will improve their public image (such as helping the poor), which is a selfish motive.Another line of argument that the concept of psychological egoism proposes is that human beings do not merely “put their own interests first†as a matter of fact in everything they do, but are, simply and plainly, incapable of doing anything on purely altruistic principles (Feinberg, 1958). In other words, human beings cannot help not to be self-centered in their actions. Anything that they do, or whichever way they behave, is motivated by a selfish interest. This reality can be seen in corporate social responsibility, philanthropy, and politi...
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[Solved] What is psychological egoism?