Lecture
3
Egoism and Utilitarianism
Introduction:
Egoism and Utilitarianism are moral systems which seek to maximize
certain consequences of policy or action. Egoism considers the
consequences only for oneself while utilitarianism considers the
consequences for people at large. This lesson explores the limitations
of these moral systems and what they might contribute to teachers
and learners. The question becomes “Can maximizing benefits
for oneself or for people generally form an adequate basis for
a moral ethic?”
Egoism:
It is difficult to overestimate the pervasiveness of this ethic
in our society today. Selfishness runs rampant and thinly veiled
hedonism or narcissism is apparent in much of the world. Advertisements
shamelessly pander to our bassist motives or flatter our sensibility.
Recent business failures have shown the greed that runs rampant
through our culture. The fashion industry creates an image and
asks us to both seek it for ourselves and worship it as an end
in itself.
Perhaps egoism’s ubiquity can be explained because a certain
amount of egoism is important and even necessary to survival. People
who have no regard for themselves, do not last long. A certain pleasure
in eating or other physical acts coupled with a certain amount of
self regard assist an individual in meeting their responsibilities
and becoming successful in our world. The problems that occur happen
when egoism becomes the only or primary ethic for action.
In fact, egoism is not the only motive for action. Countless altruistic
acts are done on a daily basis by millions of people. Egoism is too
simple to explain the complexity of human behavior. That is, egoism
always co-exists with some form of altruistic concern as well. Thus,
egoism fails as a consistent and workable ethic.
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Utilitarianism:
If egoism primarily fails because it doesn’t allow for altruistic
behavior, then the other form of maximizing consequence—that
is utilitarianism—may serve as an ethical basis for action.
Utilitarianism seeks to maximize the good for all over the good for
the individual. Many have cited this as an important influence on
philosophy of the twentieth century. Its appeal may lie in the fact
that if the good of all is maximized, then the individual will also
receive a benefit.
Utilitarianism suffers from two fatal flaws. First of all, there
has to be some non-consequential act defined as "good".
Utilitarianism seeks to cause positive consequences for the most
amount of people. One cannot be entirely consequentialist, because
there must be some reason for choosing one particular chain of consequences
over another. That is, there must be some external standard of “good.” The
question of how to define the “good” still remains, even
if one accepts that one should act to maximize the good consequences.
If one sets aside the problem of what “good” is, the
second flaw comes into focus. It focuses on what the “maximum
good” means. Does it mean that one simply seeks the highest
average of “good” across the population, or does one
look to maximize the sum of all good over the some of all bad? These
two methods of distributing the “good” lead to very different
kinds of actions. What that means is that utilitarianism can’t
help one decide what to do because it doesn’t provide guidance
in defining good and doesn’t provide guidance in action either.
Egoism and Utilitarianism and Education:
These two related ethical systems can help the educator even
though they may be flawed as final tools. First of all, the younger
a person is, the more likely they are to be egoistical in their
ethical system. As an example, young children have to be taught
to share toys or take turns. Thinking of others is not born into
us. Part of the educator’s responsibility then is to help
the learners grow into a fuller and less egoistical understanding
of what is good.
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Utilitarianism can assist the educator in moving students beyond
the egoism seemingly inherent in our being. One stop on the way to
ethical maturity is to move from valuing only self to valuing others
as well. While incomplete in itself, utilitarianism helps the educator
move out of egoism and into a more social system of ethics. By helping
an individual to consider the needs of others, egoism is broken down
and utilitarianism is built. Most moral development systems recognize
that there are certain stages in which the concept of “fairness” or
equality of treatment is very important to the individual (Fowler,
Kohlberg)
However, utilitarianism in and of itself is insufficient as more
than a simple stopping point in the development of a moral ethical
being. The question of what is good cannot be solved by utilitarianism,
and neither can the question of which system of distribution should
be used.
Conclusion:
Egoism and utilitarianism are important to understand because
they are often stages in the moral/ethical development of individuals.
They are however, not viable systems in and of themselves. Specifically,
neither serves to define good very well, and utilitarianism doesn’t
provide guidance for the distribution of that good assuming it
were defined. Educators however, can use utilitarianism as a way
to assist their students in moving from a simply egoistical position.
Discussion questions:
- What are some commonly identified ideas of “good” in
our culture today?
- Where can you see evidence of egoism and/or utilitarianism
in your behavior?
- What methods can you use to help your students move from
egoism to a concern for others?
- What would you accept as evidence of a student moving from
egoism to a broader concern for others?
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