What is the difference between psychological egoism and ethical egoism? Video
What is Egoism? (Philosophical Positions) what is the difference between psychological egoism and ethical egoism?.What is the difference between psychological egoism and ethical egoism? - so?
Johann Kaspar Schmidt 25 October — 26 June , known professionally as Max Stirner , was a German post-Hegelian philosopher, dealing mainly with the Hegelian notion of social alienation and self-consciousness. Stirner was born in Bayreuth , Bavaria. What little is known of his life is mostly due to the Scottish-born German writer John Henry Mackay , who wrote a biography of Stirner Max Stirner — sein Leben und sein Werk , published in German in enlarged , and translated into English in His father died of tuberculosis on 19 April at the age of When Stirner turned 20, he attended the University of Berlin , [15] where he studied philology , philosophy and theology. He attended the lectures of Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel , who was to become a source of inspiration for his thinking. Stirner then moved to the University of Erlangen , which he attended at the same time as Ludwig Feuerbach. Stirner returned to Berlin and obtained a teaching certificate, but he was unable to obtain a full-time teaching post from the Prussian government. Some of the best known names in 19th century literature and philosophy were involved with this group, including Karl Marx , Friedrich Engels , Bruno Bauer and Arnold Ruge.
What is Psychological Egoism
The main difference between psychological tehical and ethical egoism is that psychological egoism emphasizes the fact that people act primarily out of self-interest while ethical egoism emphasizes the fact that people should act for their self-interest. At initial thought, egoism refers to prideselfishness and having high self-worth. However, with regard to psychological egoism and ethical egoism, these definitions take on different facets. Hence, link explains the reason for most human behaviour.
Thus, psychological egoism does not explain the morality of these actions, i.
It merely observes that actions of everyone are influenced by selfishness or self-interest. Psychological egoism is identified as a descriptive theory; it is based on observations and following conclusions. Two pioneering philosophers who endorsed this theory are Thomas Hobbes and Friedrich Nietzsche.
Figure 1: Friedrich Nietzsche. Similarly, it does not claim how one should act but describes why one acts. Thereby, it recommends how people should behave ethically, seeking only self-interest.
What is Ethical Egoism
Ethical egoism proposes that only those actions having consequences benefitting the person should be considered as ethical. Hence, ethical egoism rejects altruism. Moreover, it is a normative or a prescriptive theory. Unlike psychological egoism, ethical egoism does not observe the universal motive of human actions as self-interest; therefore, it only recommends self-interest to be the ultimate motive for human actions. Such egpism are identified as ethical, worthy and good under ethical egoism. Hence, an egoist always practices ethical egoism. Some philosophers who brought forward the theory of ethical egoism are Henry Sidgwick, and, Ayn Rand.
Thus, this is the main difference between psychological egoism and ethical egoism. Moreover, psychological egoism is a descriptive theory whereas ethical egoism is a normative or prescriptive theory.
What is Ethical Egoism
On the other hand, ethical egoism prescribes selfishness or self-interest to be peychological ultimate motivation for individual actions. Hence, this is another difference between psychological egoism and ethical egoism. One other difference between psychological egoism and ethical egoism is that the psychological egoism describes the reason for human behaviour and actions while ethical egoism recommends how human behaviour or actions should be. Thomas Hobbes and Friedrich Nietzsche are two philosophers who brought forward this theory of psychological egoism whereas Henry Sidgwick and Ayn Rand are two philosophers who brought forward this theory of psychological egoism.]
I join told all above.