Here Professor Hicks develops a three-dimensional chart to contrast egoism, altruism, and predation. This is from Part 5 of his Philosophy of Education course.
Previous: Altruism’s solution: selflessness, sacrifice, lose/win service to others.
Next: Role models in ethics.
Return to the Philosophy of Education page.
Return to the StephenHicks.org main page.
I’ve had a theory that there 3 types of people and the differences have to do with confidence. The first has confidence in both himself and in others. He won’t have others running his life and has no desire to run the lives of others. He has a kinship with and respect for anyone with a similar disposition. These are the people who working together, built the American freedom society. Then there are the Collectivists and here there are 2 types. First are those that have little confidence in themselves and who put their confidence in others. Then there are those who have all the confidence in the world in themselves but no confidence in others less superior than themselves. They consider themselves the elite, they prey on the weakness, shall we say altruism of their inferiors. They use the lack of confidence to stoke envy and resentment. Even as their “solutions” enslave the weak and the indoctrinated they portray themselves as the only protection from what they propagandize as the greed and selfishness of those who cherish freedom. I’m seeing some correlation here with the Egoist the Predator and the trust, no? By the way although altruism is a common sense in mankind and is often cited as motivation by the worst of predators such as Authoritarian Collectivists, wouldn’t you agree that the true “Altruist” is the rarest of creatures?