Ethical egoism: a normative, agent-focused ethic based upon self-interest

The distinction between ethical egoism and psychological egosim
Ethical egoism suggests that acting in self-interest is the best way to act, whereas psychological egoism suggests that humans always act out of self-interest, but this is not necessarily a good thing

Short and long term self-interests

• Ethical egoism  does not mean we always act selfishly - acting out of self-interest can be synonymous with an action that demonstrates concern for others
• Acting in one's self-interest involves a complex consideration of short and long term benefits - an action that benefits another in the short term may lead to self-benefit in the long term
• Acting out of self-interest can serve short term purposes, i.e. by making you feel good about doing the right thing or as a part of a long term plan such as developing character
• Acting out of self-interest can serve long term interests, i.e. supermarkets only care about the customer because it is in their long…