PHIL 150 1st Edition Lecture 8Outline of Last Lecture I. The Theory of natural lawII. Religion and Particular Moral IssuesIII. Church TraditionsOutline of Current Lecture I. Is There a Duty to Help the Starving?II. Psychological EgoismIII. Is Altruism Possible?IV. Conclusion About Psychological EgoismCurrent LectureRachels Chapter 5: Ethical EgoismIs There a Duty to Help the Starving?- Poverty poses an acute problem for many of us who are not poor- The fact that we don’t forgo our luxuries and give the money for famine relief suggests that we regard our luxuries as more important than the lives of the starving- One reason we don’t do more is that we rarely think about the problem- We have duties to others simply because they could be helped or harmed by what we do- Ethical Egoism: each person ought to pursue his or her own self-interest exclusively- This is the morality of selfishnessPsychological Egoism- Psychological Egoism: each person does in fact pursue his or her own self-interest exclusively- Psychological Egoism makes a claim about human nature, or about the way things are; Ethical Egoism makes a claim about morality, or about the way things should beThese notes represent a detailed interpretation of the professor’s lecture. GradeBuddy is best used as a supplement to your own notes, not as a substitute.- Not a theory of ethics; rather, it is a theory of human psychologyIs Altruism Possible?- Though few of us have saved lives, acts of altruism appear to be common- People do favors for each other They give blood They build homeless shelters They volunteer in hospitals They read to the blind They give money to worthy causes- According to Psychological Egoism, we may see ourselves as noble and self-sacrificing, but really we are not- Two arguments given for Psychological Egoism: The argument that we always do what we want to do The argument that we always do what makes us feel goodConclusion About Psychological Egoism- Some people like the theory’s cynical view of human nature- Others like its simplicity- But human beings are far too complicated to have a single factor explain all human behavior- Not a credible theory- Moral theorizing need not be a naïve endeavor, based on an unrealistic view of human
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