The Virtue in Self-Interest

1997 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
pp. 264-285 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael Slote
Keyword(s):  
Ethical Theory ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Good Life ◽  
Well Being ◽  
The Self ◽  
Virtuous Agent ◽  
Self Interest ◽  
Background Assumption ◽  
Moral Philosophers

As a motive, self-interest is constituted by a certain kind of concern for oneself; but we also use the term “self-interest” to refer to the object of such a motive, to the well-being or good life sought by a self-interested agent. In this essay, I want to concentrate on self-interest in the latter sense and say something about how self-interest or well-being relates to virtue. One reason to be interested in this relationship stems from our concern to know whether virtue pays, i.e., is in the moral agent's self-interest, a question which Plato notably asks in the Republic and which has been of concern to moral philosophers ever since. But the importance for ethics of notions like virtue and self-interest is hardly exhausted by their role in the debate over whether virtue pays; indeed, any large-scale ethical theory will presumably have something to say about how these major notions relate, so we have reason to want to understand this relationship independent of the particular desire to show that morality or virtue is in the self-interest of the (virtuous) agent.It will be a background assumption of this essay that some ways of connecting virtue and well-being/self-interest redound to the advantage of the larger theories that incorporate them. If, in particular, we believe in the bona fides of ethical theory, then unifying power is a desideratum in ethics and it stands in favor of utilitarianism (and Epicureanism) that it offers us a way of unifying our understanding of virtue and well-being. To be sure, that advantage may to some extent or ultimately be undercut if unification leads to counterintuitive ethical consequences.

scholarly journals ASPEK DAN PENILAIAN KESEJAHTERAAN SUBJEKTIF: KEBAHAGIAAN, KEGEMBIRAAN, KEPUASAN DAN KUALITI HIDUP

2021 ◽  
Vol 32 (2) ◽  
pp. 95-112
Author(s):  
Nik Shahrizan Nik Mad ◽  
Marzudi Md Yunus ◽  
Muhammad Shamsinor Abdul Azziz
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Life Satisfaction ◽  
Family Environment ◽  
Good Life ◽  
Well Being ◽  
The Self ◽  
Subjective Well Being ◽  
Negative Effects ◽  
Self Assessment

Subjective well-being is the self-assessment of happiness, pleasure, satisfaction and quality of life, measured specifically and holistically. The assessment of subjective well-being is varied based on the area of focus of the researcher. Events that occur over some time also could affect an individual’s evaluation. Various factors assess well-being, such as character, love, wisdom, excitement and experiences leading to a good life. The evaluation of the positive and negative effects also affects the subjects’ emotions and mood during a study. Earlier studies showed that well-being is not merely related to income and ownership, but issues on health, activities, personality, emotions, mood, family, environment and various other factors. Therefore, this article aims to discuss aspects, assessment methods, theories and progress based on articles, books and research related to subjective well-being. This study utilises the literature review approach to collect data on subjective well-being. The finding shows that the level of subjective well-being is diverse and dynamic, and not limited to certain aspects and factors that could affect humans. Keywords: subjective well-being; self-assessment; happiness; life satisfaction; quality of life.

Autonomous Motivation, Internalization, and the Self

2019 ◽  
pp. 392-414
Author(s):  
Markus Quirin ◽  
Mattie Tops ◽  
Julius Kuhl
Keyword(s):  
Large Scale ◽  
Self Regulation ◽  
Autonomous Motivation ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Functional Approach ◽  
The Self ◽  
Humanistic Psychology ◽  
Mental Processes ◽  
Human Motivation ◽  
Autonomous Behavior

In humanistic psychology, autonomy, internalization, and the self constitute fundamental concepts to explain adaptive behavior and well-being. However, the momentary mental processes, their interactions, and individual differences that constitute a causal fundament for these concepts are yet underexplored. The authors will analyze these processes against the backdrop of a functional approach, Personality Systems Interactions Theory, which conceives the self as one out of several neurocognitive systems and highlights its role for autonomous motivation and self-regulation. We attempt to provide answers to questions such as the following: Which momentary mental processes and underlying neurocognitive systems (e.g., large-scale brain networks) facilitate the establishment of stages of internalization? Can the self become inhibited in a way that even highly internalized goals and values may not manifest in behavior? Which role does the self play in emotion regulation and decision-making, and how do these processes in turn facilitate autonomous behavior? The authors believe that the present functional analysis advances a conciliation between a phenomenologically-oriented, humanities view and a process-oriented natural science view on human motivation.

Virtue, Well-being, and the Good Life

2018 ◽  
Vol 15 (6) ◽  
pp. 767-780
Author(s):  
Jason R. Raibley
Keyword(s):  
Good Life ◽  
Moral Virtue ◽  
Well Being ◽  
The Good Life ◽  
Reasons For Action ◽  
Immoral Action ◽  
Self Interest ◽  
Essential Properties ◽  
Basic Goal

Inspired by Aristotle, Paul Bloomfield holds that all genuine reasons for action are explained in terms of one basic goal: to live a Good Life. But living morally—choosing and performing brave, temperate, just, and wise actions—is necessary (though not sufficient) for the Good Life. Using ideas from Kant and Sidgwick, Bloomfield argues that immorality is inherently self-defeating: in disrespecting others, one disrespects oneself. Moreover, immoralists—who believe that immoral action often conduces to self-interest—operate with a self-defeating conception of happiness. Bloomfield succeeds in explaining why moral virtue and personal well-being are not completely opposed to one another. However, his main arguments against immoralism are unconvincing, because they require controversial claims about essential properties and the logic of attitudes taken towards them. Other arguments against immoralism attribute inessential views to immoralists, or else require controversial assumptions about the relation between valuing and believing good.

The Wisdom of the Egoist: The Moral and Political Implications of Valuing the Self

1997 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
pp. 21-51 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jean Hampton
Keyword(s):  
The Self ◽  
Moral Life ◽  
Moral Action ◽  
Political Implications ◽  
Self Interest ◽  
Other Regarding ◽  
Traditional Understanding ◽  
Moral Philosophers

There is a traditional understanding of what morality is, an under-standing that most contemporary moral philosophers take for granted. This understanding is not itself a theory, but rather an account of the phenomenon of morality, to which these philosophers have thought any theory of the phenomenon must conform if it is to be considered successful as either an explanation or a justification of our moral life. According to this account, there are three prominent features that, together, characterize the moral:First, moral action and moral regard are taken to be other-regarding. While some philosophers have identified a certain kind of self-respect as part of morality, in general morality has been thought to involve duties to others, requiring that they be treated with respect. Self-interest is generally taken to be outside the province of the moral.

13. The UK and the outside world

UK Politics ◽  
2021 ◽  
pp. 303-330
Author(s):  
Andrew Blick
Keyword(s):  
Well Being ◽  
The Self ◽  
Democratic Accountability ◽  
Economic Prosperity ◽  
Global Community ◽  
Stable Environment ◽  
Self Interest ◽  
The Uk ◽  
The Way

This chapter starts by asking what are the things that a community regards as fundamental to the well-being of its citizens? They could be economic prosperity, security, or a stable environment. However, a state doesn’t exist in isolation. There is an outside world with which it has to interact with. This chapter explains how both the decisions that the UK takes about external policy and the way in which it takes them are subjects of intense interest and sometimes even controversy. They have consequences for the outside world as well as for the UK. These are two spheres that cannot be totally separated. An important question related to this discussion is: how far should external policy involve the self-interest of the UK? How far should we take into account our wider responsibilities as members of the global community? What powers can the UK wield internationally? To what extend is external policy subject to democratic accountability?

Moral Transformation and Self-Transcendence

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Samuel Newlands
Keyword(s):  
The Self ◽  
Harry Frankfurt ◽  
Self Identity ◽  
Moral Transformation ◽  
Virtuous Agent ◽  
Self Interest ◽  
Contemporary Work ◽  
Self Transcendence ◽  
The Way

This chapter shows how Spinoza’s ethics completes his conceptualist metaphysics, arguing that Spinoza privileges some of the plentiful ways of conceiving things over others on broadly practical grounds. It is in the self-interest of agents to conceive other things, as well as themselves, in the broadest, most inclusive ways. Spinoza thinks that the way to become a more virtuous agent is to reconceive oneself, a process that results in fundamental changes in an agent’s self-identity. Drawing on parallel contemporary work by Harry Frankfurt, it argues that Spinoza’s call to moral transformation is ultimately a call to a new self-identity, one that is far more powerful and stable, and perhaps even eternal. Although Spinoza holds out hope for our salvific transformation, he remains deeply pessimistic that we will ever enjoy much of it.

Immigrant Youth in Germany

2013 ◽  
Vol 18 (3) ◽  
pp. 158-168 ◽  
Author(s):  
Emily Frankenberg ◽  
Katharina Kupper ◽  
Ruth Wagner ◽  
Stephan Bongard
Keyword(s):  
School System ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Ethnic Discrimination ◽  
Emotional And Behavioral Problems ◽  
Sociocultural Adaptation ◽  
Age Related ◽  
German School ◽  
Transcultural Adaptation

This paper reviews research on young migrants in Germany. Particular attention is given to the question of how Germany’s history of migration, immigration policies, and public attitude toward migrants influence the transcultural adaptation of children and adolescents from different ethnic backgrounds. We combine past research with the results of new empirical studies in order to shed light on migrants’ psychological and sociocultural adaptation. Studies comparing young migrants and their German peers in terms of psychological well-being, life satisfaction, and mental health outcome suggest higher rates of emotional and behavioral problems among migrants of most age groups. With regard to adolescent populations between the ages of 14 and 17 years, however, the existence of differences between migrants and natives appears to be less clear. Research has also yielded inconsistent findings regarding the time trajectory of transcultural adaptation among adolescents. The coincidence of acculturation and age-related change is discussed as a possible source of these inconsistencies. Further, we provide an overview of risk and protective factors such as conflicting role expectations and ethnic discrimination, which may cause heightened vulnerability to adverse adaptation outcomes in some groups. Large-scale studies have repeatedly shown migrants of all age groups to be less successful within the German school system, indicating poor sociocultural adaptation. Possible explanations, such as the idiosyncrasies of the German school system, are presented. Our own studies contribute to the understanding of young migrants’ adaptation process by showing that it is their orientation to German culture, rather than the acculturation strategy of integration, that leads to the most positive psychological and sociocultural outcomes. The paper concludes by discussing implications for future cross-cultural research on young migrants and by suggesting recommendations for multicultural policies.

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