Ethical Egoism

Paper Summary:

The paper presents the views of Ayn Rand and Thomas Hobbes in regard to their argument in support of ethical egoism and points out the ways that their argument differ. This essay argues that the argument of Thomas Hobbes in this regard is considerably stronger as the Hobbesian approach and concedes the existence of important qualifications to pure egoism that the argument of Ayn Rand in this regard does not.

From the Paper:

"Egoism: A Critical Inquiry While both Ayn Rand and Thomas Hobbes present arguments in support of ethical egoism, these arguments differ in a number of key respects. This essay will argue that the argument of Thomas Hobbes in this regard is considerably stronger as the Hobbesian approach concedes the existence of important qualifications to pure egoism that the argument of Ayn Rand in this regard does not. As will be seen, the approach of Hobbes is notably stronger than that of Rand in dealing with the challenges of both the publicity argument and the paradox of egoism although, in the case of the latter, the challenge to ethical egoism will be shown to be minimal."

More papers on Ethical Egoism:

• Term Paper # 128064 : "Ethical Egoism and Law Enforcement"
• Essay # 39307 : "Ethical Egoism and Ethical Relativism"
• Essay # 12990 : "Ethical Egoism"

APA Citation:

MLA Citation: