Discussion – Altruism and Egoism

Discussion – Altruism and Egoism

The similarities between egoism and altruism are that these are ethical principles that govern human conduct. These qualities become evident when individuals are placed in scenarios where they have to prove their selflessness or self-interest. Altruists will tend to behave uniquely compared to egoists because these individuals have differing innate values. Nevertheless, altruists and egoists have different qualities that enhance their uniqueness in society.

Altruism is the ethical conduct of placing other people’s needs above those of the self and sometimes results in self-neglect. The altruist considers the welfare of other people as more important than that of the self, thereby prompting altruistic behavior in unique scenarios (Friedland et al., 2020). For instance, the altruist may realize that their classmate does not have lunch money at school. Perhaps the altruist is already aware that the student they are observing is from a needy home, and in truth, their parents could not afford lunch money. The altruist will perceive that the student is starving, and this thought will prompt them to give all their lunch money to the subject under observation. In the end, the student has money to buy lunch and not starve, but the altruist incurs a cost by their merciful act; they starve in place of the subject.

In contrast, egoism is the perception that advancing self-interests at the expense of other people is a moral behavior that human beings should continuously pursue. The egoist will not experience compassion or empathy for a needy student who is observed starving during lunch. Even if they know that the student is from a low socioeconomic background, the egoist will reason that they are not responsible for the subject’s problems (Graham et al., 2019). Moreover, the egoist will also state that they are hungry, and it does not make any sense to feed other people at the cost of their hunger. In the end, the egoist will leave the needy student to starve while they eat because, to them, satisfying their personal needs is more important than having compassion and empathy for people whose lives are not their responsibility.

References

Friedland, J., Emich, K., & Cole, B. M. (2020). Uncovering the moral heuristics of altruism: A philosophical scale. PLOS ONE, 15(3). https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0229124

Graham, K. A., Resick, C. J., Margolis, J. A., Shao, P., Hargis, M. B., & Kiker, J. D. (2019). Egoistic norms, organizational identification, and the perceived ethicality of unethical pro-organizational behavior: A moral maturation perspective. Human Relations, 73(9), 1249-1277. https://doi.org/10.1177/0018726719862851

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Altruism and Egoism

Compare and contrast egoism and altruism, giving an explanation for each, similarities, and differences.