IT and Ethics (Week 15)

 ETHICAL EGOISM

Ethical Egoism or Egoism in Ethics is a philosophical theory, according to which, a moral decision made by an individual should be

only considerable if its self-beneficiary. To put it simply it is a way of thinking that considers a decision viable only if the decision maker is benefited (the decision itself is in their interest). Although, like other philosophical terms, it can be difficult to grasp at first, we can break it down to two parts to understand it better.

Individual Ethical Egoism:

The position of the individual ethical egoist may be expressed as: “All individuals should do what is in my interests.” This is in fact ethical egoism, but it is impossible to universalize (since it makes fundamental reference to a specific person). Hence, it is arguably not an moral guideline at all.

Universal Ethical Egoism:

Universal ethical egoism is expressed in this principle: “All people should do what is in their own interests.” Unlike the individual principle, this principle is universalize able. Moreover, many self-interested people may be disposed to accept it, because it appears to justify acting on desires that conventional morality might prevent one from satisfaction.

Conclusion:

Although individual ethical egoism is cannot be implied to most of the aspects in life, Universal ethical egoism is actually beneficial for many to some extent. Tech companies that prioritize Universal Ethical Egoism usually receive a generally positive feedback from users because the designed product appeals to many individuals and not just one, thus making it beneficial for majority of universal users, satisfying the theory.