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MacKinnon & Ayn Rand on Ethical Egoism

The philosophical position of ethical egoism as presented by Barbara MacKinnon and Ayn Rand, as a viable ethical theory. The plan of the research will be to set forth the principal elements associated with this philosophy and then to discuss the manner in which it is elaborated by Rand and, as appropriate, other commentators.

According to MacKinnon, ethical egoism is a normative theory derived from psychological egoism, which as that term implies refers to the motivations of self-interest embedded into individual consciousness. The normative aspect of ethical egoism arises to the degree it implies projection of an attitude toward the individual's status as a social being or the individual's relationship to the rest of the human community. Ethical egoism, MacKinnon says, can be considered in its individual or universal manifestations, with the former referring to one's intention to look out for one's own interests and be concerned with others only to the degree that such concern contributes to one's interests and the latter referring to the assertion that "everyone ought to look out for and seek only their own best interests . . . help[ing] others only when and to the extent that it is in their own best interests."1

MacKinnon develops the view that ethical egoism may be internally inconsistent, basically arguing that self-interested individual A who has disregard for others must expect other self-interested individuals B or C to have the same disregard for A, and raising the question whether in practice what could be called this unconditional mutual disregard would ever be practical. MacKinnon appears to believe that it would not, implying that the realities of social interaction are such that ethical egoism could not be sustained. However, as MacKinnon also points out, classical economic theory provides a rationale for egoism.

This point is also made by Nozick, who like MacKinnon cites the working of the "invisible h...

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MacKinnon & Ayn Rand on Ethical Egoism. (1969, December 31). In LotsofEssays.com. Retrieved 06:28, March 29, 2024, from https://www.lotsofessays.com/viewpaper/1711992.html