ETHICAL THEORIES

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 EGOISM
a normative theory which focuses on
self-interest as the foundation of
morality

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Psychological Egoism
describes human nature as being
wholly self-centered and self-
motivated.
all my actions are selfishly
motivated: self-satisfaction or own
welfare
*reward, recognition,money,etc
Is the view in which people are
motivated only to act in their own always to do those acts that will serve his
self-interest
Example:
A millionaire gives PHP 10M
donation in charity and the
public was informed of such
charitable act.
Types of Egoism
Ethical Egoism
is the normative theory that the promotion
of one’s own good is in accordance with
morality
it is held that it is always moral to promote
one’s own good, and it is never moral not
to promote it
is the moral view that everyone ought
or her own best self-interest
Does not require moral agents to harm the
interests and well-being of others when
making moral deliberation; e.g. what is in
an agent's self-interest may be incidentally
detrimental, beneficial, or neutral in its
effect on others
Rational Egoism
the promotion of one’s own interests
is always in accordance with reason
- The moral agent thinks before
deciding, doing, responding..
the principle which says that action is
rational if and only if it maximizes one's
self-interest
-opposite of altruism
To be ethically selfish entails a
commitment to reason rather than to
be emotionally driven by whims and
instincts
Example:
Selfishness is a virtue(Ayn Rand)
- I will not offer to give food to a
hungry person, if the food is just
enough for me to last a day.
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 Hedonism
a moral theory which aims at pleasure as the ultimate standard of morality, the highest good, the supreme end of life and avoidance of pain.

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 overview

• Main goal:
• the pursuit of pleasure and intrinsic goods are the primary or most important goals of
human life.

• A hedonist strives to maximize net pleasure (pleasure minus pain). However

upon finally gaining said pleasure, happiness may remain stationary.
• Pleasure is temporary

• What happens after the pleasure is attained?

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 Two types of value
Intrinsic value Instrumental value
the value that thing has “in itself,” or “for its A value as a means to some end
own sake,” or “as such,” or “in its own right  Example:
 Valuable in itself Money
Examples • It provides security, and you can
life, food use it to purchase things you want.
 Valued by someone for its own sake
- What do people value for its own sake?
• Detached from its purchasing
 happiness power, money is just a pile of
printed paper or scrap metal.
Love
 Even love is not valued in itself: a
love that makes us permanently
miserable is not worth having.

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 Proponents of Hedonism
Epicurus
one of the first hedonic
philosophers
no one could be happy if he or
she permanently sought intense
pleasures, especially of the
fleeting kind ( kinetic or active
pleasures)
to be truly happy – or, perhaps
better, “content” – one needs a
certain calm, tranquility, and
peace of mind (static pleasures)
Jeremy Bentham
Hedonist utilitarian
Advocates the egoistic and
hedonistic nature of peoples’
motivation
• Quantitative measure of
happiness
• Hedonic Calculus
the maximization of
collective happiness was
the correct criterion for
moral behavior.
John Stuart Mill
Student of Bentham
understanding of the
nature of pleasure.
• that pleasures could vary
in quality:either higher or
lower pleasures.
Two types of pleasure
a. Lower pleasure – associated
with the body – food, water, sex
b. Higher pleasure – associated
with the mind – listening to
operas, watching movies
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Types of Hedonism

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 Folk Hedonism

This type states that a hedonist who seeks out pleasure for
themselves without any particular regard for their own future
well-being or for the well-being of others.
• example:
• a person who never misses an opportunity to indulge of the pleasures of sex,
drugs, and rock ‘n’ roll, even if the indulgences are likely to lead to relationship
problems, health problems, regrets, or sadness for themselves or others
• Owns reckless foresight
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 Motivational Hedonism
• Also called the Psychological Hedonism
• is the theory that the desires to encounter pleasure and to avoid pain guide all of our behavior.
• includes both conscious and unconscious desires for pleasure, but emphasize the latter
• Examples:
• all positive feelings or experiences, such as joy, satisfaction, ecstasy, contentment, bliss, and so forth.
• Likewise, “pain” is typically understood so as to include all negative feelings or experiences, such as
aches, discomfort, fear, guilt, anxiousness, regret, and so forth

• Proponents
• Epicurus
• John Stuart Mill
• Jeremy Bentham 11
 Ethical Hedonism

• Also called the Normative Egoism

• is the claim that only pleasure has value and only pain has
disvalue non-instrumentally.
• we ought to seek pleasure; it is the proper object of our desire
• Examples:
• friendships and achievements, our states of understanding, insight
and character, have only instrumental worth, through the pleasure
they cause or the pain they diminish. 12
 Criticisms of ethical hedonism

• identifies value with pleasure, and considers pleasure as the only value
• identifies pleasure with happiness
• Pleasure vs happiness

• what it is that is supposed to be intrinsically valuable.

• Is it pleasure – by which we mean pleasant sensations? Or is it happiness, in
which case what is that?
• A stable state of mind? A temporary feeling of well-being? Objectively flourishing?
Or are each of these good in themselves?
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 Hedonistic Egoism

• Hedonistic Egoism is the theory that we ought, morally speaking, to do

whatever makes us happiest – that is whatever provides us with the
most net pleasure after pain is subtracted
• Example:
• Hedonistic Egoist who does not feel saddened by theft would be morally required to
steal, even from needy orphans (if he thought he could get away with it)

• very unpopular amongst philosophers

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 Hedonistic Utilitarianism

• Hedonistic Utilitarianism is the theory that the right action is the one
that produces (or is most likely to produce) the greatest net happiness
for all concerned.
• Example:
• One who steals to support his vices, but no stealing from needy
orphans because to do so would usually leave the orphan far less
happy and the (probably better-off) thief only slightly happier
(assuming he felt no guilt)
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 The paradox of hedonism

• also called the Pleasure Paradox, refers to the practical difficulties encountered in
the pursuit of pleasure.
• constant pleasure-seeking may not yield the most actual pleasure or happiness in
the long run or even in the short run, when consciously pursuing pleasure
interferes with experiencing it.
• John Stuart Mill said, “Better Socrates dissatisfied, than the pig satisfied.”
• We all want to be happy, but we don’t want happiness at any price or to the
exclusion of certain other values.

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• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BGTDMf-ihCk

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 The paradox of hedonism

• "The impulse towards pleasure can be self-defeating.

• We fail to attain pleasures if we deliberately seek them. (Sidgwick :The Methods of
Ethics)
• points out that pleasure cannot be acquired directly; it can only be acquired indirectly
• Example:
• Mary likes running. When she went to run, she is happier. We can think that Mary goes to
run, because she gets pleasure from it. However, this is not the process. If Mary thinks that “I
must go running so, I can be happier”, she could not get pleasure from it. When she is so
focused on getting pleasure, she does not actually enjoy her hobby

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 References: METIS

• Pojman. Louis. Cengage Advantage Ethics: discovering Right and

Wrong
• Mizzoni, John.Ethics, The Basics
• Mackinnon, Barbara. Ethics: Contemporary Issues, 8e

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 Other sources
• Bentham, Jeremy (1789). An Introduction to the Principles of Morals and Legislation, First printed in 1780 and first
published in 1789. A corrected edition with extra footnotes and paragraphs at the end was published in 1823.
Recent edition: Adamant Media Corporation, 2005.
• Bentham’s main discussion of his Quantitative Hedonistic Utilitarianism.
• Blake, R. M. (1926). Why Not Hedonism? A Protest, International Journal of Ethics, 37(1): 1-18.
• An excellent refutation of G. E. Moore’s main arguments against hedonism.
• Crisp, Roger (2006). Reasons and the Good, Oxford: Clarendon Press.
• Discusses the importance of ultimate reasons and argues that the best of these do not use moral concepts. The
volume also defends Prudential Hedonism, especially Chapter 4.
• Crisp, R. (2006). Hedonism Reconsidered, Philosophy and Phenomenological Research, LXXIII(3): 619-645.
• Essentially the same as Chapter 4 from his Reasons and the Good.
• De Brigard, F. (2010). If You Like it, Does it Matter if it’s Real?, Philosophical Psychology, 23(1): 43-57.
• Presents empirical evidence that the experience machine thought experiment is heavily affected by a psychological
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