Egoism, Psychological Egoism and Ethical Egoism

Egoism The term “egoism” is ordinarily used to mean “exclusive concern with satisfying one’s own desires, getting what one wants.” Dictionaries tend to support this. They call “egoism”, for instance, “1. selfishness; self-interest. 2. conceit.” The term “egotist” is often a substitute, although it’s defined differently, for example, as “excessive reference to oneself.” The ego is the self. But we should distinguish first between “selfishness,” “self-interest,” and “interest of the self.” They usually mean, respectively, “concern exclusively and for indulging one’s desires,” “consideration based first on what is good for oneself without the exclusion of others,” and “that which motivates an autonomous person.” These will help us appreciate what follows. [See, also, rational choice theory.] “Egoism” is also used in ethical considerations of how human beings do or ought to live. It is thus often qualified by such terms as “ethical” and “psychological.” So what determines the most sensible meaning of the term? It is crucial, first of all, what the ego is. If it is the unique identity of the individual human being or self, what exactly is this? Some argue that everyone is, to use Karl Marx’s term, a collective or specie-being. Others, in turn, hold that the human being is first and foremost related to a supernatural God and has a body (which is of this earth) and a soul (of the spiritual realm) combined in one person. Some others say a human being is an integral and unique whole, comprised of many diverse facets. Egoisms differ depending on which of these is taken to be true.