Egoism Vs Ethical Egoism

Ethical Egoism is a theory of morality that states “one ought always to maximize one’s own personal good as an end” (Holmes 55). In other words, Ethical Egoism is a moral viewpoint that believes it is morally right to only do what maximizes our own good or happiness. It is important to distinguish the differences between egoism and ethical egoism. An egoist may be considered selfish in that they are only concerned with maximizing their own personal good. In contrast, an ethical egoist would not be considered selfish in that they believe that everyone should maximize their own personal good and that it should be universal, not individual (Holmes 55).

By definition, ethics is the branch of philosophy that deals with and studies morality (Holmes 1). Ethical theory attempts to define the moral point of view. Ethical egoism falls under the category of consequentialist theories. According to consequentialist theories, rightness is solely determined by the consequences of acts (Holmes 18).

Common morality says that it is right to keep your friend’s secrets. Under ethical egoism, it is right to tell your friend’s secrets if it benefits you. A scenario that demonstrates this would be if a friend tells you that they have kidnapped someone and there is a cash reward to find this person. It is in your best interest to tell others that your friend has kidnapped someone so that you can get the cash reward. Ethical egoism goes against common morality in this sense, because you betray your friend’s trust in you.

The above criticisms of ethical egoism outline why this theory does not do the best job in characterizing the Moral Point of View. As can be seen in the last example above, ethical egoism goes against common morality in certain scenarios. Under ethical egoism, it is better to maximize your own happiness regardless of whether or not it conflicts with other’s maximization of their own