文档介绍：: Problems of Philosophy
Prof. Sally Haslanger
November 21, 2001
Ethical Egoism
Here are three questions (of course there are others) we might want an ethical theory to answer for us:
i) Which acts are right and which are wrong? Which acts ought we to perform (understanding the "ought" as a moral
"ought")?
ii) What makes a particular action right or wrong? What is it about the action that determines its moral status?
iii) How do we know what is right and wrong?
Remember that according to relativism, whether an action is right or wrong depends on the cultural context in which it is
performed. So, ., lying to my friend is wrong iff the moral code of my society says that it is wrong. Let me clarify in
case there was any confusion about this from last time (note that 'iffdf' means: if and only if by definition):
Action X is morally wrong for agent A, who is a member of society S iffdf the moral code--accepted in S-­
entails that A should not do X.
In contrast, according to objectivism, whether an action is right or wrong does not depend on the moral code of one's
culture. But what does it depend on? Objectivists suggest a variety of different answers. Here's one:
Ethical Egoism A person ought to do (and ought only to do) what is in his or her best interests over
the long run.
On this view, a person's only duty is to promote her own in