Human Development
Egoism
Description:
Egoism is the attitude, in opposition to [altruism], which holds that each individual should seek his or her own good, only considering another's good when it is to his or her advantage. Egoism includes [hedonism], living for one's own pleasure; will-to-power, or the aim of achieving dominance over others; and perfectionism, which looks on self development as the only reason for existence. Theoretically, it is opposed to natural law and theocentric systems; but historically its main proponents have modified egoistic doctrines. Epicureans emphasized kindliness and friendship; and 17th and 18th century materialists, seeing good as, by definition, the object of man's desire and war as the natural state of endeavouring to destroy or subdue those who desire the same thing (Thomas Hobbes), derived a less harsh system (Jeremy Bentham) which declared benevolence to be the main source of egoistic satisfaction. Most moral philosophies are the antithesis of egoism in that they admit the existence of a supreme creator in whose service men best achieve happiness.