Is it actually true that egoism, in the sense of “some degree of egoism” or “at least mildly egoistic”, has a bad reputation?
My impression is that (1) almost everyone cares at least a bit about random other people but cares a lot more about themself, and (2) almost everyone is aware of #1 and doesn’t see it as particularly bad. If you call someone altruistic you aren’t generally claiming that they don’t give higher priority to their own interests than others’ at all, only that they care more about others relative to themselves than is usual.
I agree that it’s more broadly accepted when companies care scarcely at all about the interests of others—we largely accept corporate behaviour that would be universally regarded as sociopathic if done by an individual—and that this is a bad thing.
Yeah, fair enough. My impression has been that some people feel guilty about caring about themselves more than about others, or that it’s seen as not very virtuous. But maybe such views are less common (or less pronounced) than the vibes I’ve often picked up imply. :)
Is it actually true that egoism, in the sense of “some degree of egoism” or “at least mildly egoistic”, has a bad reputation?
My impression is that (1) almost everyone cares at least a bit about random other people but cares a lot more about themself, and (2) almost everyone is aware of #1 and doesn’t see it as particularly bad. If you call someone altruistic you aren’t generally claiming that they don’t give higher priority to their own interests than others’ at all, only that they care more about others relative to themselves than is usual.
I agree that it’s more broadly accepted when companies care scarcely at all about the interests of others—we largely accept corporate behaviour that would be universally regarded as sociopathic if done by an individual—and that this is a bad thing.
Yeah, fair enough. My impression has been that some people feel guilty about caring about themselves more than about others, or that it’s seen as not very virtuous. But maybe such views are less common (or less pronounced) than the vibes I’ve often picked up imply. :)