Ethical Egoism Applied To Global Starvation

Ethical Egoism Applied to Global Starvation
The issue of Global starvation is one that continues to plagued society. Global starvation is people not having enough food to eat which causes a slow and painful death. The theory of “Ethical Egoism claims that each person ought to pursue his or her own self-interest exclusively” (65).” To analysis the arguments of Ethical Egoism and how it is applied to Global Starvation one must observe how applications of this theory answer the following questions: Does exclusively serving a person’s own self-interest have the ability to lead to altruistic actions? If people work for their self-interest then why would they use it to help someone starving across the world? Do people always follow their self-interest?

People do thing that do not always satisfy their self interest in the short run because they have a greater want for something in the long run. If a person does not want to get out of bed in the morning to go to work why would they if the self interest in the moment is to stay in bed and sleep instead of going to work. The reason someone would get out of be in the morning despite the depriving themselves of the immediate self-interest of getting more sleep is the motivation of going work. People have motivation to go to work because people go to work to get a pay check. Ultimately people are getting out of bed in the morning because they have a greater self-interest of getting a pay check from work to be able to purchase themselves a better quality of life. The pay check achieved by getting out of bed, is used to buy food and essentials for everyday life and sometimes luxury items. The question most people have about how can a person self-justify themselves by living lavishly while people are starving? The way people justify themselves is because people do not think about the people starving. The reasoning of having earned the money also contributes because the person feel since they earned it. They should be able to spend it however they

This idea is best described in the instance of Abraham Lincoln when he saved some pigs from downing in the mud. “Now, Abe where does selfishness come in on this little episode?’ ‘Why, bless your, soul, Ed, that was the very essence of selfishness. I have had no peace of mind all day had I gone on and left that suffering old sow worrying over those pigs. I did it to get peace of mind, don’t you see?’” Lincoln is saying he served his self-interest because he averted the guilt he would have had with himself if he did not save the pigs. He was not thinking about the well-being of pigs or their owner he was only thinking of himself and they happened to