In aviation there are many different decisions that one must make, and sometimes the results of a decision are not favorable. The results of unfavorable decisions are often referred to as consequences. Those decisions and the consequences that may result from them are very important to the ethics of the aviation industry. It can be seen in ethical egoism, ethical altruism, what consequentialism is, and how it would apply to Colgan Air flight 3407. A way of thinking about how to make decisions with consequences is ethical egoism. As the name suggests ethical egoism is all about yourself. The way that Mark Waymack put it in the book called “Ethical issues in aviation” is” everyone should do those and only those actions that are in their own …show more content…
The way someone who is altruistic will think according to Waymack is “…look to how our actions will affect other persons… the interests of self do not have any standing” (Waymack in Hoppe). This is also not a smart way of thinking. While it does sound better than that of ethical egoism it will have its own set of problems. The main problem being is that it may not be in the interest of one self. It is okay to make decisions that don’t always benefit other people though only focusing on self-interest isn’t good ether. Waymack also makes a good point it is that altruism “unrealistically underestimating the strength of individual self-interest” (Waymack in Hoppe). He is right, generally no matter how good of a person you see yourself as it is inevitable that you will do something in the best interest of yourself. It is simply unrealistic to be entirely altruistic, but one should not become someone who focuses on egoism. The best way to look at consequences is to look at both sides not just what could be done for you or what could be done for others. Then make the decision that will best fit the …show more content…
The pilots of the Colgan air flight were tired which could lead to poor decision making. It is a well-known fact that being sleep deprived has a negative effect on a persons abilities. People who are sleep deprived typically can’t think as clearly and have a much slower reaction time. When flying a plane, it is important to be able to react quickly and know what you are doing. The sleep deprivation prevents you from doing that. What didn’t help at least the first officer was the amount the airline was paying her. Her salary was low enough to the point where she was not able to afford to stay in a hotel and had to get her sleep on a couch in the crew lounge. It would not be realistic to expect to get a good amount of sleep there. The airline should have known that the amount they were paying was not enough to support a pilot working in the area of New Jersey. The Captain also made a bad decision by not staying in a hotel himself. He was paid much more than his first officer, but still opted to get his sleep in the crew lounge. The pilots should have known that flying while fatigued was not a good idea. However, once again they decided to put their own priorities in front of getting enough sleep. The first officer did have an excuse as to why they chose to sleep in the lounge but the Captain
The idea that a person can be purely good and altruistic does not exist due to society’s acceptance and embrace of the selfishness and greed of human beings. People these days are some of the most selfish beings to ever exist but they are not ashamed of their actions because of how the world around them welcomes their self-centered nature with open arms. Selfishness comes is many ways, shapes, and forms. Many businesses need to utilize the greed of mankind in order to make money and prosper; “Greed-for lack of a better word-is good. Greed is right. Greed works” (Wall Street). Even politicians use their greed to run campaigns for themselves in order to win the hearts of Americans. As well as fulfill their ultimate selfish goal to be the man
Egoism is an ethical theory that views self-interest as the basis of morality. Essentially, it is a view that people will do whatever brings about the best consequences and is better for oneself. Egoism derives from the Latin term “ego” meaning “I.” The “best consequences” meaning the actions make that individual happier. There are two types of egoism in which we have so far discussed in HUM 105. Psychological egoism is “the theory that in fact people always act in their best interest, or that no one ever acts unselfishly” (Wells, Egoism: pg 1). This doctrine holds that individuals are always motivated by their own self-interest. It is a psychological theory about how people do behave. Ethical egoism is the normative ethical theory that “an
Psychological egocentrism states that people engage in interactions with other to satisfy their self-interest. In the example I used above the psychological egoist would be the one to share the resources to further improve their chances of survival that way. The ethical egoist would rather hog the supplies to improve his well-being. The different point of view both these types of egoisms share is pronounced very well. The psychological egotist would view the choice of helping the other human as part of helping themselves and their well-being. On the other hand, ethical egoist would have a view that shows that you prioritize yourself and only you even if it causes harm to others. This clearly states the only affair that matters to a person is their well-being. Psychological egoism is a theory based on years of researching individuals and seeing the choices they make to help their
Whether human nature is fundamentally selfish or altruistic is a question that challenge lots of researchers back in the time, and even today. Some people, such as Thomas Hobbes, claimed that man 's nature is basically evil and selfish. However, Joseph Butler, a philosopher, disagreed with this idea. For him, goodness consists in having what he calls the ‘principle of reflection’ govern and control our passions. People always want to know the true, but there is no answer for this question, so we have to find it out base on our knowledge and beliefs. It is important to know what is our true identity when we were born. In my mind, no one is perfect, everyone has the dark-side in themselves. People cannot deny that there is no mistake have
Ethical egoism is a normative ethical position that focuses morally right action that promotes the individual own self interest. It states that actions whose consequences will benefit the doer can be considered as ethical. It differs from psychological egoism in that because ethical egoism says we ought to be selfish while psychological states we should be selfish (Frankena, 1973. 18). The theory in itself says we are hard-wired to be selfish and focus on what type of actions promote use and is self serving. The moral appraisal of things assumes our curiosity, necessitates and even contentment of others should factor in a stability of what we perceive morally and what is in our self-interest. What is morally right and
Altruism regards the individual life as something one may be required to sacrifice for the sake of
• Once more, the ordinary science’ proves itself as the master of classification, inventing and defining the various categories of Egoism. Per example, psychological egoism, which defines doctrine that an individual is always motivated by self-interest, then rational egoism which unquestionably advocates acting in self-interest. Ethical egoism as diametrically opposite of ethical altruism which obliges a moral agent to assist the other first, even if sacrifices own interest. Also, ethical egoism differs from both rational and psychological egoism in ‘defending’ doctrine which considers all actions with contributive beneficial effects for an acting individual
This book has characters that display an extreme sense of ethical altruism. The society in anthem is so fair and equal that none of the characters show any individualism. It takes the main character nearly all of the novel to finally learn what it means to be “selfish” and keep some things for himself. This is something that Ayn Rand calls ethical egoism. However, is this a method that can be really be applied to today’s society and is it alright to have it? There should definitely be a balance between how much ethical egoism and ethical altruism you display. You should try your best to care and look out for others but there are some things that a person has to be selfish about. There are things that people will always need help with and circumstances that will require people to be kind and helpful. On the other hand sometimes you have to put your own happiness and self before anyone else’s. It’s not that you don’t care about people it’s just that sometimes you have to come
Altruism is selfless acts like someone willingly sacrificing their life for their child’s. When people show acts of altruism it is usually because they feel empathy for the person. They have feelings that reflect on how that person is feeling in the situation. We sacrifice ourselves for strangers in need to help reduce our personal distress of seeing them in need. Another reason is experiencing the feelings of the person in need. If a person sees someone having car trouble they will want to help because they remember having car trouble with no one around to help. They are sacrificing their wellbeing by pulling over to help, they could be putting themselves in a bad situation if the person is a criminal.
People perpetrate seemingly selfless acts almost daily. You see it all over the news; the man who saved that woman from a burning building, the mother who sacrificed herself to protect her children from the bomb blast. But how benevolent are these actions? Are these so-called “heroes” really sacrificing themselves to help others? Until recently, it was the common belief that altruism, or selfless and unconditional kindness, was limited primarily to the human race. However, within the last century, the works of several scientists, most prominently George Price, have provided substantial evidence concluding that altruism is nothing more than a survival technique, one that can be calculated with a simple equation.
The behavior of altruism in an individual is when it brings more costs than benefits for the benefit of another individual. Altruism comes from the Latin word "Alter" which means "the others." This translation of alturism describes it relatively well. Another great definition of altruism can be found in a statement of Edward Osborne Wilson, an American biologist. According to Wilson, "Altruism is defined in biology, as in everyday life, as a self-destructive
Before a case can be made for the causes of altruism, altruism itself must first be defined. Most leading psychologists agree that the definition of altruism is “a motivational state with the ultimate goal of increasing another’s welfare.” (Batson, 1981). The only way for a person to be truly altruistic is if their intent is to help the community before themselves. However, the only thing humans can see is the actions themselves, and so, selfish intent may seem the same as altruistic intent. Alas, the only way that altruism can be judged is if the intent is obvious. Through that, we must conclude that only certain intents can be defined as altruistic, and as intent stemming from nature benefits the group while other intent benefits yourself, only actions caused by nature are truly altruistic.
For someone who believes in psychological egoism, i t is difficult to find an action that would be acknowledged as purely altruistic. In practice, altruism, is the performance of duties to others with no view to any sort of personal...
Ethical egoism states that an act is good if and only if it serves self-interest. It is a normative theory holding that people ought to do what is in their self- interest