SENSES OF SELF

Prepared by:
DANTE B. RAMOS, MaEd
Asst. Prof
The figure refers to the concept stating that a
person’s self-interest always motivates
his/her actions. In other words, it explains
that everybody is ultimately motivated solely
by his/her self-interest. 
It is sometimes thought that one should not
rely on any external authority to tell oneself
what the standards of moral valuation are,
but should instead turn inwards. A sense of
self is a general conscious awareness of your
own identity. Your sense of self refers to your
perception of the collection of characters
that define you.
Three theories about ethics centers on the self
The starting point of subjectivism is
the recognition that the individual
thinking person (the subject) is at
the heart of all moral valuations.
It is the idea that our moral opinions are
based on our feelings and nothing more. In
this view, there is no such thing as
“objective” right or wrong. It is a fact that
some people are homosexual and some are
heterosexual, but it is not a fact that one is
good and the other bad.
Subjectivism teaches that there are no
objective moral truths out there. There
are no objective moral facts. Therefore
murder is wrong can’t be objectively true.
They are just factual statements about
the attitude.
Ethical subjectivism holds that ethics
are subjective; they are the opinion
of the actor. It follows that each
person may have a different view of
ethics, or some collective has a
congruent view of ethics.
For example, one person or group might hold that
females are inferior to males and should be
second in line for any opportunity, if at all.
Another might hold that they are equal. A third
might hold the opposite of the first, that females
deserve an opportunity before males. Ethical
subjectivism would somehow support all three
claims.
PSYCHOLOGICAL EGOISM
 PSYCHOLOGICAL EGOISM

It is a descriptive theory according to

which each person in fact pursues only
his or her own-interest. All our actions
are basically motivated by self-interest.
Psychological egoism suggests that all
behaviors are motivated by self-interest. In
other words, it suggests that every action or
behavior or decision of every person is
motivated by self interest. It also suggests
that every action must be motivated by self
interest.
Example:

The person giving to charity might be hoping

to impress others, or they might be trying to
avoid feelings of guilt, or they might be
looking for that warm fuzzy feeling one gets
after doing a good deed. The soldier falling
on the grenade might be hoping for glory,
even if only the posthumous kind.
Why think that all our actions are self-interested?

A motorist who stop to help someone who has broken

down
The motorist might be thinking that one
day he too could need help. So he
supports a culture in which we help those
in need.
A person giving money to charity
The person giving to charity might be
hoping to impress others, or they might
be trying to avoid feeling guilty or they
might be looking for that warm feeling
one gets after doing a good deed.
A soldier falling on a grenade to
protect others from the
explosion
The soldier falling on the grenade might be hoping for
glory, even if only the posthumous kind.
 ETHICAL EGOISM

Ethical egoism suggests that we should only act

on behalf of our own self-interest, and that we
should only concern ourselves with things that
will benefit us directly or indirectly. This theory
also suggests that we shouldn’t concern ourselves
with our neighbor and their problems but only
our own.
Example:

A cigarette smoker acts on his desire to

smoke; smoking causes health problems that
are not in one’s best interest. One may want
a cigarette, but it is not one’s self interest to
smoke.
Ethical egoism says we should do what is
really best for ourselves in the long run.
People ought to act in their own self-
interest because it is the moral thing to
do.
 
Difference between Psychological Egoism and Ethical Egoism
 

Psychological Egoism – A descriptive theory of human

bold nature about how human in fact do (must)
behave (always exclusively in his own interest)
Ethical Egoism – A normative theory about how people
ought to behave (they should act in their interest
exclusively)
psychological egoism is a descriptive theory
whereas ethical egoism is a normative or
prescriptive theory.
PSYCHOLOGICAL EGOISM is a theory
about how we do behave while Ethical
egoism is a theory about how we ought
to behave
Psychological egoism is the idea that all men are
selfish, and that we only do things for our own
self-interests. Ethical egoism is the idea that
people ought to only do things for their self-
interests, and that we should only feel obligated
to do things for ourselves, regardless of the effect
it may have on others.
For example, if you were to go to a store to
buy some water or groceries, it would be
because you felt thirsty or hungry. Similarly, if
you went to a doctor, it would be because
you were sick. In both these cases, your
motivation for doing something arose from
the fact that you wanted to do something
that was in your best interest.
EXPLAIN: