Ethics

What is Self – Interest?

Definition of self - interest:generally refers to a focus on the needs

or desires (interests) of oneself.

Focus on actions or activities that are advantageous to an individual or organization. For a business or individual to survive and grow, a degree of self-interest is necessary. When there is too much focus on self-interest the benefits of the group at large diminishes.

Self-interestThe term “interests” is a wide abstraction

that covers the entire field of ethics. It includes the issues of: man’s values, his desires, his goals and their actual achievement in reality. A man’s “interests” depend on the kind of goals he chooses to pursue, his choice of goals depends on his desires, his desires depend on his values—and, for a rational man, his values depend on the judgment of his mind.

Enlightenment Self-interest

is a philosophy in ethics which states that persons who act to further the interests of others (or the interests of the group or groups to which they belong), ultimately serve their own self-interest.

Unenlightened of Self-interestIn contrast to enlightened self-interest is simple 

greed or the concept of "unenlightened self-interest," in which it is argued that when most or all persons act according to their own myopic selfishness, that the group suffers loss as a result of conflict, decreased efficiency because of lack of cooperation, and the increased expense each individual pays for the protection of their own interests. If a typical individual in such a group is selected at random, it is not likely that this person will profit from such a group ethic.

Unenlightened of Self-interestSome individuals might profit, in a material

 sense, from a philosophy of greed, but it is believed by proponents of enlightened self-interest that these individuals constitute a small minority and that the large majority of persons can expect to experience a net personal loss from a philosophy of simple unenlightened selfishness.

Unenlightened self-interest can result in the tragedy of the commons.

Tragedy of the commonsis a dilemma arising from the situation

in which multiple individuals, acting independently and rationally consulting their own self-interest.

Self Interest

Self Realization

What is Self - realization

The Ethics of Self-RealizationThe theory of self-realization is that a life of excellence

is based on the actualization of human potentialities. In psychology, this is called "self-development."

Self-realization, here, is not meant to connote the active awareness of the Stoics, as the word might suggest (i.e., "becoming aware").

We ought to actualize our potentialities-the theory, then, rests to some degree on naturalism, the biological and psychological capacities of what it is to be a human being. The idea is that every great person in history has set up guidelines for his life.

The Ethics of Self-RealizationEssentially, there are three different views on

which capacities should be developed.

1. Variety pattern of self-realization: becoming a well-rounded person, learning and doing a little of everything.

2. Dominant theme pattern: concentrate on one major interest and build other interests around it.

The Ethics of Self-Realization

3. Maximum fulfillment of desires: (naturalism) people are born with innate purposes, ends, and goals, and excellence is achieved by fulfilling these natural human wants.

Thank You For Listening