2. Altruism is a myth
It is not possible to act unselfishly
All examples of altruism have a deeper
meaning eg David gives money to charity to
go to heaven
All action is ultimately ‘self centered’
All actions have selfish
motivations/intentions
Watch video – psychological egoism 2 (1min)
Discuss
3. All human behaviour is
motivated by 2 impulses
“seek pleasure and avoid pain’
He gave two examples
1. Charity -Whoever is giving to
charity is ultimately showing off
their superiority
2. Pity – Far from being able to
empathise with other people’s
sufferings, Hobbes believed it
was a way of reminding
ourselves that the same thing
could happen to us.
4. Go online and find out
about Epicurus’ view
of human behaviour –
20 minutes
Read info in booklet –
watch 10 minutes from
video
Brainstorm
5. Go online and find out
about Nietzsches view of
human behaviour – 20
minutes
Read info in booklet – Or
use the wiki
Notes on 1.The
Genealogy of morals 2.
Beyond good and evil
Brainstorm
6. 1. All actions whether selfish or unselfish
amounts to the person doing what they most
want to do – Action is based on desire
2. Acting unselfishly produces a sense of self
satisfaction in the person who does them
Watch video – psychological egoism 1 (1.45)
7. James Rachels argues against psychological
egoism
He uses the following points to attempt to
show how humans are capable of altruistic
behaviour
8. We sometimes act against our wishes and
desires – EgWorldWar 1 trenches
There are times when we act against our
desires
We act because we ‘ought’ to
Eg Carrying out a promise to do something
even when we don’t want to do it
9. Argument for Psychological Egoism - All actions whether
selfish or unselfish amounts to the person doing what they
most want to do – action is based on desire
However, Rachels argues …
Selfishness is defined by object of desire
If Jones wants to sacrifice going to the cinema to donate
$10 to help children in the Congo that is precisely what
makes him unselfish
Selfishness is defined by the object of a want/desire
If I want to help others and act on that want, then I am not
selfish
10. Argument for psychological egoism - Acting
unselfishly produces a sense of self
satisfaction in the person who does them
However, Rachels argues …..
3. Unselfish people derive satisfaction out of
helping others
Isn’t the unselfish person precisely the one
who does derive happiness from helping
others – Selfish people do not
If I get satisfaction from helping starving
people –This just shows that I am ‘good
hearted’
3. Helping others is precisely what makes us
unselfish
11. Ultimately Rachel’s argues
People act from a great variety of motives –
greed, anger, lust, love, hate etc
Human actions are multi-layered in different
colours of grey and not just black and white
12. Outline the theory of psychological egoism –
Include Hobbes and Epicurus in your answer
Examine James Rachel’s arguments in
opposition to this theory
Complete for homework
