“It is not as easy as you imagine to be a pure egoist, and none such have ever succeeded. The apparent egoism of great nations and of great men is the inevitable sternness with which anyone who has his life fixed on some undertaking must bear himself. When we are really going to do something […]
Ortega y Gasset on egoism and dedication to purpose Read More »
[This is a Portuguese translation of “When Altruism Becomes Pathological”, originally published in English at EveryJoe.] Quem é mais propenso a trapacear — praticantes de esportes individuais ou de esportes coletivos? Um experimento fascinante realizado pelo professor Sharon K. Stoll, publicado no Chronicle of Higher Education, compara atletas de esportes individuais como golfe ou tênis simples
Quando o altruísmo torna-se patológico [Portuguese translation] Read More »
A good journalistic piece in The New York Times: “The Perverse Effects of Rent Regulation.” (Thanks to R.M. for the link.) Rent control is a classic case of bad economics and bad ethics. The bad economics is ignorance of unintended consequences — in this case a price control that makes the initial problem worse. The
Davidson on rent control as “perverse” Read More »
My lengthy journal article entitled “Egoism in Nietzsche and Rand” [pdf] is now publicly available for free at the Journal of Ayn Rand Studies‘ site. The abstract: “Philosophers Friedrich Nietzsche and Ayn Rand are often identified as strong critics of altruism and arch advocates of egoism. In this essay, Stephen Hicks argues that Nietzsche and
“Egoism in Nietzsche and Rand” at JARS Read More »
From Wired magazine’s profile of Reid Hoffman. I like this section where Hoffman says that each one of us needs to “think about our lives as entrepreneurs, using this playbook as a way five years from now to be in more control of my life, create more value in myself and the world around me,
Reid Hoffman, philosopher-turned-Linked-In founder Read More »
During my visit to Francisco Marroquín University, I led a one-hour seminar on entrepreneurial ethics. Subtopics: * Three moral types: Carly, Tonya, and Jane. * Six questions in ethics. * Egoism, Altruism, and Predation. * Entrepreneurial ethics: entrepreneurial success and virtue. * Why hasn’t the case for liberty convinced everyone? * Entrepreneurial ethics in contrast
Seminar on entrepreneurial ethics Read More »
Stephen Hicks contrasts egoism with both altruism and predation. This is from Part 12 of his Philosophy of Education course. Previous: Individualism: self-responsible living and the virtues. Next: Optimism: philosophy and history. Return to the Philosophy of Education page. Return to the StephenHicks.org main page.
Egoism versus the false alternative of altruism or predation Read More »
Stephen Hicks discusses Ayn Rand’s ethical theory. This is from Part 12 of his Philosophy of Education course. Previous: Liberal politics. Next: “Primacy of Existence”. Return to the Philosophy of Education page. Return to the StephenHicks.org main page.
Rational self-interest Read More »