Psychological Egoism Vs. Altruism

Alexandria Martin

PHIL0102 (UG13) 01 - Introduction to Ethics

October 10, 2013

Psychological Egoism vs. Altruism

Are people naturally selfish beings? Or are we genetically coded to risk our own welfare to help others without a second thought? Psychological Egoism states that by nature, people are selfish beings with only their own interests at heart. This theory is contrasted by the thought that humans are unselfish beings, with a desire (whether natural or learned) to aid in the benefit of others. Such unselfish acts are a part of the Altruism Theory.

Psychological Egoism is a theory of human nature that states that, by nature, we are born so as to always pursue our interest, even if it means bringing harm to others. According to Psychological Egoism, we are born selfish and there is absolutely nothing we can do about it. If we look at the crime statistics, for example, we can prove that psychological egoism does in fact exist. Every criminal from serial killers to burglars show that people will do whatever it takes to fulfill their selfish needs. Many of them start off as children committing petty crimes, and then as they mature, they move on to more serious acts. A great number of convicts were thought to have been born either into their way of life or were just born immoral. Another example that proves psychological egoism is true lies in our everyday actions. People in general commit selfish acts without even knowing it. People lie on tax forms to receive higher income taxes; find lost goods or money and keep it for themselves; and even

The theory of Altruism states that it is possible, at times, to put the interest of others before your own, even if it means bringing harm to yourself. In other words, we are willing to risk our own welfare for others; thus making us unselfish beings. Examples of Altruism are everywhere in nature. The fact that even animals can be altruistic proves that this theory is plausible. For example, in his article, Trivers uses the fish living in a tropical coral reef. He stated "Within these coral reefs there are various species of small fish act as 'cleaners' for large fish, removing parasites from their body". People generally perform acts of altruism with the thought that it is "the right thing to do" or if they believe in karma. Sometimes, we act on instinct to help someone in need or in danger. An example of this type of instinct occurred on a New York City subway platform. Wesley Autrey, a local construction worker jumped down onto the railroad tracks to save Cameron Hollopeter (who had previously collapsed and fell onto the tracks) from an approaching train.

Both Psychological Egoism and Altruism are a part of human behavior. People and animals can be selfish at times, but we also have a natural instinct