Egoism

Egoism directly targets the intentions behind our actions. It questions our interest in doing what is virtuous by claiming that, for all our actions, we are ultimately only seeking self-benefit and that the foundation of morality is self-interest. As for actions that seem to purposely benefit others, under the philosophy of egoism, even then, your ultimate goal would still be self-benefit. Many might see egoism as a limited way of viewing morality. However, egoism does not claim that being self-interested is necessarily a negative concept or a concept that makes any of our actions less moral. It only points out that, with every action, there will always be self-interest, no matter how virtuous. Egoism has two types, with the main contrast between them ultimately focusing on the style of theory each one uses. These theories are Descriptive and Normative. Descriptive approaches focus on what is, while Normative approaches focus on what ought to be. The Descriptive approach covers Psychological Egoism, which is the most well-known type and is considered the main type used to describe egoism. It claims that all human actions are ultimately motivated by self-interest, and this is not a moral judgment but rather an observation about human behavior. The second type is Ethical Egoism, which uses the Normative approach, claiming that people should act in their own best interest. This means that they should make choices that will benefit them the most, even if it comes at the expense of others. Another sub-type of Ethical Egoism worth mentioning is Rational Egoism, which also claims that people should rationally act in a way that will bring them the most happiness or well-being but emphasizes using reason to determine the best course of action for oneself.