Mains Practice Questions

Approach

• Begin with briefly discussing the concepts of psychological egoism and ethical egoism.
• Differentiate between them and discuss how psychological egoism poses a challenge to ethical egoism.
• Conclude by summarizing the key points.

Introduction

Psychological egoism and ethical egoism are two distinct theories that address the motivations behind human actions and the principles guiding ethical decision-making. While both concepts involve the notion of self-interest, they differ in their focus and implications.

Body

Difference between psychological egoism and ethical egoism:

Challenge Posed by Psychological Egoism to Ethical Egoism: Psychological egoism poses a challenge to ethical egoism in the following ways:

• One way that psychological egoism poses a challenge to ethical egoism is by undermining the possibility of moral choice.
  • If psychological egoism is true, then people cannot act otherwise than what they perceive to be in their self-interest.
  • This means that ethical egoism cannot provide any guidance or justification for human actions, since people are already doing what they think is best for themselves.
  • Ethical egoism would be redundant or irrelevant in a world where psychological egoism is true.
• Another way that psychological egoism poses a challenge to ethical egoism is by questioning the coherence of the concept of self-interest.
  • If psychological egoism is true, then people may not have a clear or consistent idea of what their self-interest is, and they may act on impulses, emotions, or habits that are not conducive to their long-term well-being.
    • This means that ethical egoism is arbitrary, since it cannot define or measure what self-interest is.

Conclusion

Psychological egoism claims inherent self-interest, while ethical egoism asserts it as morally right. Tension arises from the conflict between descriptive psychological egoism and normative ethical egoism, questioning the necessity and moral basis of self-interest.