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By Nyamugada Benevolence (Scroggs Research Consulting)
scroggsrearch@gmail.com
Introduction
Ethical leaders who uphold ethical egoism are bound to bring success to their organizations.
Ethical egoism is one of the teological theories that emphasize that each person ought to
maximally advance his or her own self-interest. Ethical egoism is classified as an influential
philosophical movement which has provoked numerous debates. The attitude of educational
leaders to self-interest is very key in applying ethical egoism. Ethical egoism claims entail
that we seek our own happiness exclusively which goes in line with the happiness goal. This
presentation discusses ethical egoism principles, their implications to education and their pros
and cons. The key terms are defined as they are used throughout the presentation.
Definition of key terms
Ethics
Ethics infer the discipline of dealing with what is good and bad, with moral duty and
obligation (Webster`s Ninth New Collegiate Dictionary, 2017). Mangena (2007) from an
African perspective defined ethics as rules, traditions, taboos and principles used in a given
society to define and guide behaviour.
Egoism
Egoism is a teleogical theory of ethics that sets as its goal the benefit, pleasure or greater good
of oneself alone. In addition, egoism is understood as a doctrine that individual self-interest is
the actual motive of all conscious action (Aylor, 2015).
Ethical egoism
Ethical egoism is the radical idea that the principle of self-interest accounts for all one`s moral
obligations. Aylor (2015) states that ethical egoism entails the morally right action that best
promotes the agent`s own interests (where “agent” refers to the individual performing the
action). Therefore, ethical egoism has an obligation to pursue solely what is best for oneself
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(normative claim). Ethical egoism is defined as the theory that the morally right action is the
one that produces the most favourable balance good over evil for oneself.
Leadership
According to Galloway (2010), leadership infers the ability to get a person to do what you
want him to do, when you want it done in a way you want it done because he wants to do it.
Another definition sees leadership as the reciprocal relationship between those who choose to
lead and those who decide to follow (Kouzes &Posner, 2003). Therefore, a leader utilizes
leadership resources and by specific leadership behaviours influences thoughts and activities
of followers.
Ethical egoism theory
The theory was propounded by Ayn Rand and Adam Smith. The theory according to
Anderson (2011) holds that what makes something good or bad, right or wrong is that
satisfies one`s desires or meets one`s needs. Ethical egoism is a normative ethical position
that moral agents ought to do what is in their own interest (Kurt, 1990). Ethical egoism states
that there are objective moral facts and an action is morally good if and only if it promotes my
persona happiness and it is morally wrong if that action hinders my personal happiness
(Machan, 1998).
Furthermore, for the egoist according to Evans (2004), happiness and pleasure are regarded as
ultimate and intrinsically valuable insofar as it is pursued for its own sake and not for the sake
of something else. A person who practices ethical egoism believes that morality should be
based entirely on self-interest, where every action that he takes should always be directed
towards a way that improves his standing in life. Basically, if there is s focus on offering
assistance to another person without benefit to self-interest, then this philosophy would
consider this act as immoral.
Principles of ethical egoism
Self-centred theory
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This entails the practice of good to others driven from self-interest in which leaders act in
benevolent ways. For example, if an educational leader sees a school child being abused
physically or either way should have the desire to help lift the child from that situation. To
add on, someone`s interest may happen to coincide with the interest of others such that by
helping oneself, one will coincidentally help others too. Self-interest plays a crucial role for
ethical egoism. There are three types of egoism which are personal ethical egoism, individual
ethical egoism and universal ethical egoism. Sandra (2004) argues that personal ethical
egoism is the belief that only an individual should act from the motive of self-interest. In
addition, individual ethical egoism is the prescriptive doctrine that all persons should serve an
individual`s self-interest.
Ethical egoism Sandra (2004,) is seen as arbitrary because it values the selfish individual
more than other people and there are no objective grounds for this. Similarly racism values
one race more than others arbitrarily. On the other hand, for example at our school the teacher
in charge blocked the buying of the teas for the teachers just because she was not around
which deprived her self-interest since she wanted to take all the extras. Also the teacher in
charge is going to destroy the clerk’s office to extend her office for her self- interest reasons.
Right to life and purpose of action
The principle holds that leaders have the duty to help anyone in need to save lives. According
to Anderson (2012), the desire to help others comes first in regards to leaders since they
should have feelings of helping others. For example, educational leaders or teachers should
help a student who is facing abuse from parent or guardian so as to perfect happiness in the
child. Another example is that educational leaders can help teachers who are in need of in-
service training in using ICT through workshops so that the teachers became happy in
effectively applying their knowledge and skills. Mahere (2012) argues that the strengths of
Ethical Egoism is that it helps establish a greater sense of personal identity in a community,
promotes a sustainable household, ensures basic personal needs to be met. On the other hand,
it has the capability to destroy relationships, it would completely eliminate objectivity as well
as that it requires practice of its philosophy.
The pursuant of happiness and virtue of selfishness
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It is understood that the interests of other people are viewed as very important under this
principle in which leaders should uphold the principles (Smart and Williams, 2003). For
example, providing school children with counselling, protecting them from unsafe
environments that affect their learning amongst others. Also, the provision of food for the
students at school ensures happiness. The need to pursue happiness makes people feel good
and having a sense of satisfaction in the person who performs them. However, lack of social
cohesion might result in failed actions towards pursuant of happiness in schools. The needs of
others are important and we can help others at little cost to ourselves.
Implications
Ethical egoism has got a number of implications to the teaching and learning process as well
as ethical leadership. Ethical egoism has been seriously applied in educational circles
whereby educational managers have utilised it in their practice.
Pros of Ethical Egoism
In defending ethical egoism, Any Rand argued that selfishness is a virtue. In addition, under a
morality of sacrifice, the first value you sacrifice is morality followed by self-esteem.
i. Acting selfishly creates a better world
According to Scroggs (2011), if a person maintain or take care of himself/herself, it can
result in a better world for everyone. For example, if an educational leader maintains his
own interests in ensuring better educational standards, the school can become better. In
the same vein, it is epistemological in the sense that each person is best suited to his own
interest. In addition, ethical egoism turns out to those who hurt others or often influence.
Egoism does not promote bad acts such as stealing, bullying others etc. in which
educational leaders and teachers can use egoism to denounce negative behaviours and
promote self-interests thus achieving a positive school culture. Another argument speaks
of “paradox selfishness”, in which it is argued that a person can probably involve some
amount of being nice to others, cooperating with and helping others.
ii. Altruism is demeaning
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Friedrich Nietzche and other philosophers argued that altruism was demeaning because it
meant that an individual was saying that some other person was more important than that
individual. According to Nietzsche, this is denigrating oneself, putting oneself less than
the other. This entails disregarding other people putting self at the most priority which is a
source of conflict in educational organizations.
iii. People always pursue their own interests
Proponents of ethical egoism argue that people always pursue their own interests. In
addition, egoism requires one to assess accurately what and how those consequences will
be of all the acts open to you in a situation.
Cons of Ethical Egoism
i. Universalizing the theory seems to result in contradiction of duties
Others can be working at cross-purposes to your interest for example stealing files. For
example, one assigns a higher priority to one`s own pursuits and will almost always
inevitably as a prudent plan logically advocate that others should not always exclusively
pursue their own interests.
ii. Egoism is wrong
It is understood that egoism holds that there is no particular action that is just plain wrong.
For example, as long as an action serves to promote your own interests, then it is morally
right thing to do. However, there are tense situations such as murder, rape, lying and
stealing which should not be seen as the right thing to do. Therefore, promoting own
interest will be come utopian. Therefore, ethical egoism is wrong regardless of whether
performing any act would benefit oneself. For example, it is wrong for an educational
manager to assault a teacher as a subordinate to pursue own interests.
iii. Caring for other for their own sake is rejected
It is understood that caring for others is ethically rejected unless one assigns self-value to
the action. In addition, one`s emotions of compassion and empathy for those less well off
than us or those incapable of providing some benefit to use should be discouraged. In
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addition, despite that it is an objection which arises from common human feelings which
seem not only natural but also admirable to many.
Criticism
It is argued by Scroggs (2011) that pursuing own interests affect others especially in
educational institutions. For example, the arbitrary distinction that one group of people to
another results in serious conflicts in which others are seen as more important than others. For
example, seeing albinos at a school or learners with disabilities as less important than the able
bodied is ethically wrong although ethical egoism promotes that. The issue of superiority and
inferiority create tensions in schools. Aylor (2015) argues that the theory of ethical egoism
fails to provide a way to adjudicate conflicts of interests. For instance, if my interest is
opposed to yours, then ethical egoism by telling each of us to maximally pursue his/her own
interest does specify some compromise that we ought (morally) to agree to. In addition, it just
tells us to do his or her best and then whatever happens happens. Therefore, a moral theory
cannot bring solutions since it is misguided that conflicts can be settled by fighting for own
interests. Hence, ethical egoism cannot offer a compromise in cases of conflict of personal
interests especially between school heads and teachers.
While there are some definite pros to ethical egoism, there are also cons to it that cannot be
ignored. There are three types of egoism: universal (everybody should act for their own self-
benefit), personal (the egoist is an egoist, but other people can be altruistic or utilitarian), and
individual (everybody acts for one individual's self-benefit, which is completely unrealistic)
(Smith, 2000). For example in schools, the school head might ignore the grievances of the
teachers focusing on what gives him self- interest. The school head ignores to buy the new
curriculum text books and uses the money for his trip where they held their NAPH conference
meetings instead of him or her to buy the text books used by teachers to deliver the daily
lessons.
Conclusion
Ethical egoism has been explained on its principles of fulfilling self-interest (being ego-
centric). Inferences have been drawn in education settings. However, the theory is not
applicable to real life situations considering instances in which it results in conflict of
interests.
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References
Aylor, B.R. (2015). Leadership Ethics: A discussion of ethical Leadership Theories &
Dilemmas.
Bradley, F.H., (1876). Ethical studies. London: King cited in Cox, V.W., (2010). Approaches
to decision making. New York. Sage.
Bentham, J. (2006). An introduction to the principles of Morals and Legislation. Oxford.
Oxford University Press.
Burns, J. M. (1978). Leadership. New York: Harper & Row.
Mahere, S.M., (2014). A Study of Ethics and Professionalism in Zimbabwe` Education
System. Zimbabwe Journal of Educational Research. Vol 26, No.3.
Rachels, J., & Rachels, S. (2012). The Elements of Moral Philosophy (7th Ed.).
Smart, J.J.C., & Williams, B. (2003). Utilitarianism for and against. UK. Cambridge
University Press.
Scroggs (2011). Grote Examination of utilitarianism philosophy. London: Bell. Unpublished
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