Tionko, John Roy F.

GEC008-CE42S5 March 16, 2023

I. Introduction and Thesis Statement

Ethical egoism is the belief that each person should just consider what is
in their own best interests. It's not the promoting one's own interests in
addition to those of others is a common-sense principle. The radical
notion that the self-interest maxim justifies all of one's commitments is
known as ethical egoism.

II. Strong Arguments and Evidences Supporting the Thesis Statement

Ethical egoism does not, advise against offering assistance to others. Your
interests may occasionally line up with those of others, in which case
looking out for yourself will also benefit them. For instance, it would be
advantageous for both you and your classmates if you could persuade the
teacher to revoke the assignment. Such behavior is not prohibited under
ethical egoism; in fact, it may be encouraged. The idea solely holds that
under these situations, the benefit to other people does not make the act
acceptable. Instead, the action is right because it benefits you personally.

III. Opposing and Qualifying Ideas

Filipino philosophy as it is expressed and practiced in the society.

Although this linguistic method is influenced by a wide range of thinkers,
including Saussure, Merleau-Ponty, and Wittgenstein, it cannot remain
pure. Miranda is still compelled to explain egoism using Western ideas
 because there is no local philosophical literature like Confucius or the
Upanishads that could have offered other definitions. When he claims that
"egoism as a synthetic concept is the individual's unique interiority; as an
analytical concept it is the unrepeatable complex of an individual's
awareness and thought, his emotions and sense of value, his personality
and character," he is equating it with "the individual's unique interiority
(Miranda 1989, 3). The divide between subjectivity and objectivity was first
taken for given by Mercado, one of the first figures in Filipino philosophy,
who claimed that "the Filipino tries to harmonize the object and the
subject" (Mercado 1976, 191). Years later, though, he would have a
change of heart and completely reject the duality that exists among
Filipinos. Does the object-subject dichotomy also exist among Filipinos?
We believe the response is "no" (Mercado 1994, 53).

IV. Compelling Conclusion

The articulation and construction of a Filipino virtue ethics was the aim of
this dissertation. That was a project that was both useful and informative.
It was both constructive and descriptive, attempting to remain true to the
way Filipino scholars have described Filipino concepts and how these
concepts are encountered in daily life. It was constructive because it built
on entirely new philosophical foundations (the metaphysics, psychology,
and ethics of Aquinas). This project may be considered a "renovation" as
opposed to a total innovation, much like how an abandoned structure that
is about to collapse can be renovated and upgraded with brand-new
construction materials.