Who is the representative of the idea of reasonable egoism. The theory of rational egoism: description, essence and basic concept. Selfishness is reasonable. Basic concept of the theory

What is reasonable egoism? From early childhood, a person is taught to subordinate his desires to ever-increasing responsibilities.

I want to go for a walk, but I need to help around the house, I want to lie on the couch and read - but I can’t think only about myself.

First of all, you need to think about the good of others and your native country - this was the basis of education in Soviet society.

Times are changing, and more and more people are putting their own interests above all else.

Conservatives believe that this is impossible and the world is heading into the abyss. But let's try to figure out whether everything is really that bad?

Difference between egoism and egocentrism

Many people confuse these two concepts, however, these are two completely different styles of behavior. When a small child just begins to explore the world around him, he thinks that the world revolves around him, and he is the center of the universe.

They feed him whenever he wants, create comfortable living conditions, everyone is happy to help him and is always ready to help. But over time, parents begin to teach the child that everyone has their own interests and the feelings of others need to be respected.

If at the age of one and a half years it is difficult for children to share toys, by the age of three they are able to consciously share and over time they become more and more aware of the art of communication, socialize, learning to take into account the interests of the people around them. As they say, “behave decently.”

Young children are self-centered. They demand attention, affection and care not out of harm, sometimes quite seriously infringing on the interests of their closest relatives.

They just don’t understand that everyone has their own desires that must be taken into account. They don’t even suspect that mom wants to relax, and not play the same game for the hundredth time. This is egocentrism.

In a normal child, egocentrism gradually fades away and by the age of six or seven it is practically gone.

But if a little person does not receive enough affection and love for him not for some achievements, but only because he exists, his egocentrism will certainly emerge in adulthood. A self-centered person has high self-esteem.

For example, he can easily be late or not come to a pre-agreed meeting at all. He tries to take the best place everywhere and pays a lot of attention to this.

Such a person builds a career without regard for the fate of his competitors. There is still a baby inside him who believes that everything in the world is subject to his will. Therefore, he sincerely does not understand why they are offended at him.

Lack of attention in childhood can lead to the other extreme. The person will have too low self-esteem and lack of self-confidence.

He will give in to everyone, will not be able to say “no”, will not strive for something more that others can easily take advantage of.

Of course, egocentrism in adulthood requires a lot of work on oneself. This form of egoism is not healthy, but even egocentrism can be tried to be transformed into one that will benefit oneself and others.

We charge with optimism!

Russian women often try to do everything for the sake of their loved ones, without sparing themselves. For example, mothers with grown-up children devote all their time to work and housework.

From morning to evening they work at the workplace, and upon returning home, they immediately begin preparing dinner and doing household chores. But, as they say, you can’t redo all the things, and at the end of the day they go to bed exhausted, so that they can repeat everything all over again tomorrow.

As a result, after a couple of years of living in a “work-home” rhythm, women develop depression, apathy and complete disappointment in life.

The same situation is with the fathers of the family: from morning to night at work, and in the evening there is no strength for anything. As a result, adults sacrifice their “wants” to responsibilities. But at least occasionally you need to allow yourself to do what you want!

If a person always does only what is “needed”, then, in the end, his will to live disappears, apathy begins, and he cannot cope with his responsibilities - a vicious circle.

Don't forget to do something for yourself. Often it is our hobbies, interests, and various activities that give us the will to live.

How does this situation in the family affect children?

Unfortunately, “tormented” parents are not the best example for a child. Watching how mom and dad mechanically carry out their duties, not enjoying life at all, the child will not learn to enjoy every day.

And it happens even worse: the mother constantly repeats that she dedicated her life for the benefit of the children and they feel ashamed. They feel guilty for taking up all their parents' free time.

Then everything gets out of control. A child who studied well only to please his parents abandons his studies.

It seems that he does everything out of spite: he walks in his boots on the floor that his mother has just washed, does not do his homework, eats only sweets, and defiantly puts the plate with carefully prepared soup to the side.

Parents are perplexed, because they do everything for the benefit of the child, but he does not feel gratitude at all.

In order not to go to extremes, remember your interests and do not infringe on them. Allow yourself to be selfish sometimes - believe me, this is quite reasonable, and sometimes it even helps maintain good relationships in the family!

Altruism and egoism

Altruism is considered the opposite of selfishness. - this is a person who lives for the sake of others, sacrifices himself. But often selfishness and altruism are two sides of the same coin.

A mother who overprotects her already grown son. He is an adult and should take care of himself. But his mother still cooks for him, feeds him almost from a spoon, constantly calls and worries about any delay at work. “I sacrifice myself for the good of my loved one,” she says.

In fact, her care has long become stressful, suffocating and unnecessary. The root of this guardianship is selfishness. The mother is sure that her son is not capable of anything without her; she has too high an opinion of himself.

People who received little attention in childhood also often go to these extremes and become selfish or altruistic, which once again confirms the relationship between these two concepts.

So how can we find the edge of reasonable selfishness - one that will benefit everyone and not harm? Define the boundaries of your interests and do not allow others to infringe on them. On the other hand, do not infringe on other people's boundaries.

Don’t forget to take time for yourself, praise yourself for your achievements, enjoy life, and do what you love. Find the golden mean of your self-esteem and don’t let anyone lower the bar.

For example, a friend asks you to borrow some money. You refuse because you know him as a good, but not obligatory person.

A friend calls you selfish. Don’t pay attention, people often try to manipulate in this way, but you need to be able to protect your interests.

At the same time, do not violate the boundaries of others. Don’t forget that the best gift to your loved ones and society will be a cheerful, happy and proactive person!

Reasonable selfishness

Reasonable selfishness- a term often used in recent years to denote a philosophical and ethical position that establishes for each subject the fundamental priority of the subject’s personal interests over any other interests, be they public interests or the interests of other subjects.

The need for a separate term is apparently due to the negative semantic connotation traditionally associated with the term “egoism”. If under selfish(without the qualifying word “reasonable”) is often understood as a person thinking only about himself and/or disregarding the interests of other people, then the supporters " reasonable selfishness» it is usually argued that such neglect, for a number of reasons, is simply unprofitable for the one who neglects and, therefore, does not represent selfishness (in the form of a priority of personal interests over any others), but only a manifestation of short-sightedness or even stupidity. Reasonable egoism in everyday understanding is the ability to live in one's own interests without conflicting with the interests of others.

The concept of reasonable egoism is closely related to the concept of “individualism”.

Story

The concept of rational selfishness is by no means new; corresponding reasoning is found in the works of such philosophers as Benedict Spinoza, Claude Adrian Helvetius and others.

The theme of reasonable egoism can also be seen in the famous novel by N. G. Chernyshevsky “What is to be done?” .

Modern social trends that support reasonable egoism

Reasonable egoism is the ethical basis of objectivism.

Many supporters of Satanism declare their adherence to the principles of rational egoism.

The principle of reasonable selfishness is considered by many representatives of voluntarily childless people (childfree) to be decisive for their position.

The theory of rational egoism is widely developed and disclosed in the works of the American writer Ayn Rand, in her works “Atlas Shrugged” and “”.

From a psychological point of view

From a psychological point of view, selfishness is inherent in all mentally healthy people as it is a consequence of the conservation instinct. Selfishness is not a bad or good assessment, but a character trait that can be developed to a greater or lesser extent. Among its manifestations are super-egoism (I am everything, the rest is zero), self-destruction egoism (I am nothing, look how insignificant I am) and healthy egoism (understanding one’s own and others’ needs and reconciling them with benefit for oneself). Anegoism can be attributed to the realm of fantasy or serious illness. There are no mentally healthy people who don’t take care of themselves at all. In a word, living well without reasonable selfishness is difficult. After all, the main advantage of a person with healthy egoism is the ability to solve his problems taking into account the interests of others and competently build a system of priorities.

Your egoism is completely healthy if you:

defend your right to refuse something if you think it will harm you;
understand that your goals will be achieved first, but others have the right to their interests;
you know how to take actions in your own favor, trying not to harm others, and are able to compromise;
have your own opinion and are not afraid to speak out, even when it differs from someone else’s;
ready to defend yourself by any means if you or your loved ones are in danger;
don’t be afraid to criticize someone, but don’t become rude;
do not obey anyone, but do not seek to control others;
respect your partner’s wishes, but don’t overstep yourself;
you are not tormented by feelings of guilt after making a choice in your favor;
love and respect yourself without demanding blind adoration from others.

From a mathematical point of view

Reasonable selfishness is the choice of those strategies that are consistent with the mathematics of reducing the pain of sentient reality (after biodecay) while minimizing pain for yourself while you live. All possible hypotheses about the nature of pain, both electromagnetic and other, are considered if they are consistent with observations. Those. from all strategies, choose the one that min(summ(pain), infinity), subject to min(my(pain), life). Those. do something nice for yourself now, thinking about the nature of pain and the role of humanity. In reducing pain in the universe for oneself, but after biodecay (death).

Altruism is the choice of those strategies that are consistent with the mathematics of reducing the pain of reality, regardless of the pain during life. That is, to introduce technologies to reduce pain in the Universe, regardless of pain during life. The role of the agent of the Universe. Studying pain, creating new, more progressive forms of life, changing reality in order to reduce its pain perception.

Unreasonable destructive egoism is the choice of those strategies that contradict the mathematics of reducing the pain of reality, increasing it. Usually people who, due to weak logic and little knowledge, on the one hand, are afraid to commit suicide (“it’s worse there”), on the other hand, abstract from the question of the existence of pain in reality. At the moment, electromagnetic hypotheses of pain are the main ones (gate theory and others).

Unreasonable self-destructive egoism is the choice of those strategies that give a small gain, but a big loss later.

Notes

Criticism

Links

Nikolai Naritsyn. Reasonable egoism (reasonable egoism as a recommendation of a professional psychoanalyst and psychotherapist)
Andrey "Varraks" Bortsov. Reasonable egoism (Satanism and reasonable egoism)

Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

See what “Reasonable egoism” is in other dictionaries:

Reasonable selfishness- a term introduced by Chernyshevsky to designate the ethical principles he developed. The basis of Chernyshevsky’s ethics, largely built under the influence of the teachings of French. materialists of the 18th century, as well as C. Fourier and L. Feuerbach, lie the attitudes, meaning to ... ... Russian Philosophy. Encyclopedia

REASONABLE SELFISHNESS- a term introduced by Chernyshevsky to designate the ethical principles he developed. The basis of Chernyshevsky’s ethics, largely built under the influence of the teachings of French. materialists of the 18th century, as well as C. Fourier and L. Feuerbach, lie the attitudes, the meaning of ... ... Russian philosophy: dictionary

REASONABLE SELFISHNESS- an ethical concept put forward by the enlighteners of the 17th-8th century. which is based on the principle that a correctly understood interest must coincide with public interest. Although man is by nature an egoist and acts only out of his own interest, out of... ... Thematic philosophical dictionary

REASONABLE EGOISM is an ethical teaching that assumes that: a) all human actions are based on an egoistic motive (the desire for one’s own good); b) reason makes it possible to single out from the total volume of motives those that constitute a correctly understood... Philosophical Encyclopedia

selfishness- a, m. égoïsme m. 1. Philosophy that asserts the real existence of only the soul. 70s 18th century Exchange 156. Disgust for Hisism, according to which everything relates only to oneself. Interlocutor 1783 2 24. False sensitivity refers everything only to itself; By … Historical Dictionary of Gallicisms of the Russian Language

This article needs to be completely rewritten. There may be explanations on the talk page... Wikipedia

Egoism (from the Latin ego “I”) 1) psychological term: The value orientation of a subject, characterized by the predominance in his life of selfish personal interests and needs, regardless of the interests of other people and social groups.... ... Wikipedia

The terms “egoism” and “egotism” can refer to: Egoism is behavior that is entirely determined by the thought of one’s own benefit. Reasonable egoism is the belief that first of all you need to act in your own interests. Solipsism (sometimes... ... Wikipedia

Selfishness can be divided into reasonable and unreasonable. But you should know that both types of egoism manifest themselves in not accepting what is(cm.). All desires and aspirations arise from the ego, and from nowhere else.

Let's take a closer look at the types of egoism.

Unreasonable selfishness manifests itself in self-obsession: “I want...”, “me...”, “mine...”. Satisfying your desires comes first, all other people and their interests are relegated to the background or ignored altogether. Unreasonable egoism is characterized by the fact that ultimately Always brings suffering(any kind) yourself and others. When a person manifests unreasonable egoism, he attracts other people who also manifest (or turn on as a reaction) this type of egoism. And what happens to these people, each of whom puts himself first?

Unreasonable egoism is aimed mainly at material things - the desire to have more and/or better than another, which ultimately leads to troubles.

Unreasonable egoism keeps the mind in constant tension, because it constantly has to make calculations, tricks, tricks; this tension accumulates (stress), which leads to mental breakdowns, depression and illness.The consequences of unreasonable selfishness are described in the article .

Reasonable egoism is characterized a greater understanding of life, and this is a more subtle type of egoism. It can also be aimed at the material, but the method of receiving or achieving it is more reasonable and less fixated on “I, me, mine.” Such people have an understanding of what this fixation leads to, and they see and use more subtle ways of getting what they want, which brings less suffering to themselves and others. Such people are more reasonable (ethical) and less selfish, they do not go over the heads of others or go ahead, do not commit violence of any kind and are inclined to honest cooperation and exchange, taking into account the interests of everyone with whom they deal.

Spiritual growth (self-development) is a manifestation of reasonable egoism. When a person takes care of himself, he does it for himself, wants to improve his condition, and other people may not be taken into account at all. Yes, this is selfishness, but reasonable, because the better one’s own condition, the more one radiates positivity (of any kind), and in the end it is better for everyone with whom one deals. But here reasonable egoism can border on or be combined with unreasonable one, when a person ceases to fulfill his duties (in the family, society, at work), making excuses by taking care of himself. This is a dangerous situation that can negate all achievements on the spiritual plane and lead to big problems in the material world. “I am better (taller, smarter, wiser, purer...) than you, because I take care of myself, so get away from me, I won’t do anything for you” - such a position will inevitably lead to problems, because it is unreasonable.

Let's continue about the reasonable. Reasonable selfishness can manifest itself in various ways. For example, you use it in relation to a person to gain favor on his part. Or use it to get more happiness and success. Or, to get rid of negativity and limiting beliefs, gain more freedom and peace. And so on. Selfish? Yes, you do it for yourself, but in the end everyone benefits from it. If the unreasonable one does not join in with reasonable egoism, there will be no bad consequences.

Selfless useful activity is also a manifestation of reasonable egoism, anyway. After all, if selflessness did not bring more joy and happiness to the one who does it, no one would do it, right?

They say, everything a person does, he does for himself, and every person is an egoist. This is true. We live in an egoistic world, in a body-mind that is initially of an egoistic nature. The body needs food, clothing, a roof over its head, the mind also needs its own food (the mind is constantly looking for something, digesting). Any organism (body-mind) is programmed selfishly.

Consciousness in its pure form does not have the nature of egoism. In other words, egoism is something acquired, existing only in the manifested world, it is an attribute of the body and mind, and not of pure consciousness.

Taking adequate care of the body, working on the mind (spiritual growth), getting rid of unreasonable egoism are manifestations of reasonable egoism, which brings benefit to everyone.

When unreasonable egoism disappears, leaving only reasonable egoism, then this reasonable egoism examines itself, which ultimately leads to knowledge of oneself as pure consciousness occurs.

A traffic cop accidentally waved his stick and a car stopped. I decided to come over and apologize. The driver just arrived:
- I forgot my rights!
Wife next to me:
- He's lying about everything! I drank yesterday!
Mother-in-law from behind:
- People will always get caught driving a stolen car!
Voice from the trunk:
-Have you already crossed the border?

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And if, perhaps, a harsh hour passes
And the muse will tenderly hand over the laurel crown,
Thanks to fate, thanks to the mind
The genius will finally win
All the wondrous joy and glory of raptures
In total - do you hear? - achieve one!

E. Rostand "Cyrano de Bergerac"

I do not intend to build for anyone
serve and help. I don't intend to build forin order to have clients. I intend to have
clients in order to build...Those who
I need them, they will come on their own...
Never ask anyone. Especially about your work. Don't you know what you want? How can you live without knowing this?

Ayn Rand "The Fountainhead"

In the previous chapter, I lightly touched upon the topic of selfishness, and I did this for a reason. As will be clear from the following discussion, reasonable egoism is closely related to the principle of moderation in the context of a happy life. But first things first.

The theory of rational egoism was formed in parallel with capitalist relations. The greatest contribution to it was made by French thinkers of the 18th century. They argued that the basis of morality is properly understood self-interest - the so-called “reasonable self-love.” From their point of view, reasonable egoism represented the “golden mean” between altruism and unreasonable egoism. The latter represents the satisfaction of momentary desires without taking into account the consequences, violation of the rights of surrounding people in favor of one’s interests, and therefore leads to major troubles in the long term. From the point of view of theorists of reasonable egoism, people should learn this phenomenon, overcoming inadequate prohibitions and restrictions introduced from childhood, and use their common sense more widely.

In fact, the theory of rational egoism forms a new type of morality (instead of the outdated dualistic morality of absolute Good and Evil), in which the so-called “moral unselfishness” and “altruism” are devalued - they are just free cheese at the entrance to the mousetrap. An “altruist” who does a favor makes the other person feel obligated to him and thereby gains room for future manipulation. Therefore, a reasonable egoist refuses such gifts in order not to become dependent, or does not consider himself obligated to pay in any way in return for a “selflessly” given gift or service rendered. By this, by the way, he can cure the manipulator - altruist of his bad habit.

Of course, reasonable egoism is better than the hypocritical double morality from which the citizens of the USSR suffered under socialism. This concept is close to individualism and allows a gifted person to better express himself. After all, everyone has selfishness mine (as well as the individual and the mind), therefore, all sorts of “collective-patriotic” events remain unclaimed and attract only “lazy minds” who expect a strong government to solve their problems.

The difference between gifted individualists (primary people) and irresponsible collectivists (secondary people) is perfectly shown in the novels of the famous American writer Ayn Rand called “The Fountainhead” and “Atlas Shrugged”. A gifted person, from the author’s point of view, wins personal happiness in the process of creativity, and he creates, first of all , for your own sake! For own development! Another thing is that usually there is benefit to others, but this, as they say, is a “by-product.” And they instilled in us at school: a genius creates for people, like a cat...

You may ask why I am writing this book. Guess three times... That's right, for your own development, desire to better understand this topic and increase self-esteem. When there are so many smart thoughts in your head, it would be a crime not to show on paper the power of your hemispheres...

However, let’s return to the brilliant emigrant from Russia Ayn Rand, whose novels rank second after the Bible in their influence on American society. A reasonable egoist, from the writer’s point of view, finds a goal in himself. He lives in his own head, not allowing other people to make himself a victim, but also not turning others into victims. The open proclamation and substantiation of such ideas in the works of Ayn Rand makes them considered more philosophical than artistic works.

As we see, the emphasis is on the person’s own mind and common sense, who, making conscious choices in everyday life, bears responsibility for them. This is another type of morality, different from Christian, the importance of which was emphasized by the ancient Chinese philosopher Confucius many years before our era. For him, as for Socrates, Virtue was merged with Knowledge and could not be realized outside of it. Unlike many modern “moral” hypocrites, Confucius always lived by his commandments. By the way, it was not difficult for him - after all, he had intelligence! As the philosopher argued, “religion must be consistent with human reason and subject to the test of common sense. What cannot be verified by reason cannot be the subject of true and firm faith, and therefore cannot guide actions.” This is the kind of “religion” I am ready to believe in with pleasure!

From school we remember the novel “What is to be done?” The reasonable egoism of the “new people” in this work by Chernyshevsky is expressed as follows: the thoughts of the main characters are directed towards themselves, but at the same time are subordinated to the ideals of goodness and happiness. Their personal interest coincides with the universal one. Not the reasonable egoism of the other heroes of the novel leads to idleness and excess.

For me personally, the pain point here is that how much the interest of a gifted and rationally selfish individual may coincide with the collective. After all, talented people are often forced to confront the lazy and inert masses. Ortega y Gasset, a modern writer and philosopher, very vividly described this phenomenon: “Ordinary minds, not deceived about their own mediocrity, fearlessly assert their right to it... The mass crushes the dissimilar, the remarkable and the best. The masses are those who float with the flow and are devoid of guidelines. Therefore, the mass man does not create...”

Remember, we already said that “unreasonable people” tend to give priority to material consumption and empty pleasures? Ortega y Gasset also notes two main features of the “mass man”: the constant growth of life’s demands and innate ingratitude, which generally paints an image of a spoiled child living by emotions and illusions. After all, no one even tries to point out to this Child the “second-classness” of his life, and even of himself! “The longer you exist,” the Spanish philosopher writes bitterly, “the more painful is the conviction that the majority is inaccessible to any effort other than a forced reaction to external necessity.”

In my opinion, the main advantage of Ortega y Gasset is that he showed the main dangers unreasonable selfishness crowds. Since the “mass” person has little intelligence, his egoism cannot be reasonable by definition! It is no coincidence that Ortega y Gasset notes that the crowd, left to its own devices, destroys the foundations of its own existence.

A reasonable egoist never behaves like this: he thinks about his long-term profit, and not about satisfying immediate needs. While egocentrism - the extreme degree of selfishness - is literally life-threatening. After all, an egocentric person is not able to feel other people, to predict their actions, and therefore to rationally compare his actions with the actions of others. It is no coincidence that it is said: “Freedom is the ability of a person to live in conditionsown self-restraints " Where will a fool get them from? Therefore, in order to keep fools in check, there is religion with its morality and the state with its security forces. Both of these institutions emphasize emotions (carrots and sticks) rather than reason. I don’t presume to judge to what extent the “mass people” could be re-educated if the emphasis shifted to the development of rational, logical thinking. Therefore, perhaps, the hat is according to Senka, which, however, is in no way suitable for gifted, intelligent egoists. They have their own headdresses and, most importantly, different contents of the head.

So egoism allows a capable person to resist the inert crowd, and reason allows him not to bring matters into conflict with it, remaining a law-abiding citizen and realizing himself in the sphere of individual creativity.

By the way, in previous books I wrote that unique Every person should have abilities, since he was “not accidentally” born. And he encouraged those around him (including cadets and clients) to seek and realize their uniqueness, finding the meaning of life in this. Now, more often than not, I am inclined to the point of view that “the people are nature’s bypass maneuver to obtain six or seven brilliant individuals.” At the same time, I treat every representative of the “people” with respect, since all people have the same rights, although they have completely different levels of abilities. So if you develop individuality, then at the same time you should develop your brain, because “where there is not enough intelligence, there is not enough everything.” But, as the reader understands, the achievement own happiness without a bit of selfishness and individualism is impossible.

The “reasonable egoist” is guided not by traditional morality with its frozen concepts of Good and Evil, but by situational ethics, in which each case is considered in an individual, unique way. And this is natural for an intelligent person: he won’t stand on a deserted street at night, waiting for the red traffic light to change to green! A reasonable egoist understands the relativity of any rules - after all, even parallel lines do not intersect only as long as they go along a flat surface. It goes without saying that any symbolism, including state symbols, is just symbolism and nothing more. This does not mean that such a subject has contempt for various kinds of official symbols - he simply does not think about them. At the same time, he understands that a certain ordering of life thanks to the state is still more favorable for him than wild chaos. The ideal social system for him would be meritocracy - the rule of the most worthy and capable people. Society should be governed by smart and prepared people, not arrogant and loud-mouthed people. To do this, you need to vote for smart people with your “head” and not with your “heart”. Then the consumer society will be replaced by a knowledge society, in which intelligent and gifted egoists will be the norm, not the exception. And in place of bureaucrats there will come meritocrats. Until this happens, people will witness periodic invasions of power by “barbarians” from the people, who, in the words of Russian Minister I. Kudrin, “either remain silent or stage a riot, senseless and merciless.”

By the way, the modern “mass man” has already got his hands on the fruits of progress, many of which were “grown” for him by individual geniuses. And the only thing that a representative of the crowd will never be able to adopt is the work of his brain, his mind. Now it’s clear why gifted people are not loved, and gifted egoists are doubly disliked. They have a treasure in their heads, and they know how to use it - but only for myself. While the majority are lazy, go with the flow, get angry, rejoice and fantasize.

A rational egoist opposes any mystic with his irrational reliance on feelings as a tool for understanding the world around him and belittling the intellect. From here there is a direct road to superstitions and delusions of a schizophrenic who believes in the ability to control external events with the power of his own thoughts. A reasonable egoist will not allow himself to be confused by all kinds of verbiage. In such cases, he easily turns on his skepticism, and, if necessary, healthy cynicism, because he understands the axiom: “if you don’t write your priorities in your diary, then strangers will be in it.” Let me emphasize once again that a more developed person must be more selfish in order to fully express your abilities. At the same time, his mind contributes to the “careful” manifestation of his individuality, so as not to accidentally harm others who live by completely different values.

A rational egoist is, of course, more optimistic than vice versa. About yourself - a little better than about others (individuality); for yourself - a little more than for others (reasonable egoism); about the world - a little better than it actually is, and your chances in it are a little higher than real (moderate optimism). A wonderful bouquet of qualities, isn’t it? It is no coincidence that the already mentioned Ayn Rand considered selfishness an unconditional virtue, and despised hedonism and altruism. After all, with reasonable egoism there is always fair exchange , and not greed or hidden manipulation.

A reasonable egoist understands his personal uniqueness and does not try to build his life in accordance with unattainable ideals, suppressing natural human reactions. He feels himself to be an integral subject and therefore does not contrast the “good” and “bad” (from the point of view of traditional church morality) parts of his personality. The desire for pleasure, humor and spontaneity coexist peacefully in him with responsibility and hard work. His mind correctly determines the context in which this or that quality will be used in a timely manner. At the same time, he is able to notice mistakes made, correct them and learn from them. Such a person avoids not only external, but also internal shackles (for example, drug addiction) and strives, wherever possible, to make life easier in order to devote more time to self-realization. A psychologically mature subject does not need external authorities, because he lives my life, not someone else's. A reasonable egoist understands the need for some isolation from others in order to achieve greater freedom. Therefore, sometimes he builds and sometimes he destroys barriers. After all, adulthood includes the understanding that only you yourself know best the most suitable way of life for you. Only you and no one else. For such a person there are no “good” and “bad” qualities, “pure” and “impure”, but there are timely and untimely. Moreover, in a holistic and balanced personality, one pole cannot exist without the other: it stands out only in contrast to its opposite. If there were no obedience, there would be no authoritarianism, etc. So different poles in the human psyche should be “friends” and interact. Declaring one of the poles as “good” and the other as “bad” immediately forces a person to admit his inferiority and, moving towards the supposedly “better” pole, fall under the influence of various kinds of charlatans and manipulators (see the chapter on sects). If, for example, I consider unselfishness a higher value than egoism, then for the purpose of “spiritual improvement” and the (vain) fight against my egoism I go to “surrender” to church, after which my personal uniqueness can be put to rest - in every sense of this words. After all, now my life will be subordinated not only to an unattainable ideal, but also to those specific people who declare themselves to be a “link” between earth and heaven. By the way, people who strive to master the “highest” spiritual values offered by religion are also selfish in their own way: after all, they want to earn eternal pleasures after death. Isn't this selfishness?

Therefore, the egoism that I write about has its “counterbalances” - in the form of reason and in the form of moderation. As they say, three in one! Thanks to this balance, a person grows not “broadly”, affecting the interests of others, but “heightly”, realizing himself as a unique personality. Indeed, thanks to egoism, we can better preserve our own identity and creativity. By the way, it does not cancel its opposite - altruism, when there is really a need for it. For example, this concerns love, empathy for loved ones, in a word, everything that forms reliable relationships. After all, we want the people around us to be happy too! But we will not sacrifice ourselves for this.

If a person is unreasonable an egoist-egocentric person who does not have internal brakes and balances, then “external” structures in the form of psychiatrists, police, etc. are needed to curb him.

In the modern system of psychotherapy called REBT (rational emotive behavioral therapy), moderate selfishness is placed in first place among other aspects of mental health. This is how the founder of REBT, Albert Ellis, characterizes this concept: “An emotionally healthy person, first of all, is honest with himself and does not masochistically sacrifice himself for the sake of others. Much of his kindness and consideration for others stems from the idea that he himself wants to enjoy freedom from unnecessary pain and limitations. Therefore, he is likely to be willing to give his time and energy if it will help create a world in which the rights of others, as well as his own, are not unreasonably limited.” REBT strongly encourages long-term, i.e. moderate hedonism, which does not lead to destructive consequences for the physical health and psyche of a person. “Moderate hedonists” understand that they will live for a long time, so they cannot risk everything for the sake of obtaining momentary benefits and tempting temptations. And here, as we see, intelligence allows you to find a balance between the present and the future.

In a word, reasonable egoism is simply necessary for a person who wants to find happiness through creativity and self-realization.

Well, let’s assume your opinion began to be erased due to your investigative analysis, which ends with someone calling you perverts on the street at the age of 3, and now you have received a ban from your neighbors to run out onto your own balcony and vomit under their windows, from why you have an inferiority complex and you cannot fully reveal your talents. As in most cases, your case is unique, because now life forces you to survive, and instead of being proud of your tactical advantage, you find a flaw!!! And not in yourself, but for example in a neighbor, and as is usually done, prepare for war. I agree, at the first stage everyone has to make mistakes, but not you, taking a book on jurisprudence, closing it with disgust, wondering where it will end up with your neighbor, and it seems like your plan is 100% successful, provided that your neighbor doesn’t have a boot there dad (after talking about “dirty shooting”). This is what I think, we don’t need assumptions, we need an absolute plan where your victory will be an undeniable success, and your popularity will cross the boundaries of the natural and we are not talking about a Vaseline-smeared finger on a rubber glove. Let's first look at what's stopping us. In the modern world, a term such as freedom is used, the essence of which only includes your lustful desires, permission to crap where you haven't been noticed, but the point is this: EVERYTHING is stopping us. Why? You ask, I’ll answer: “it’s only getting worse!”... no, that’s not it; you lose your composure with an uncontrollable desire to knock out “other people’s crap” - well, it’s already warmer; “you’re shit” - yes! here it is. And this, as you know, is a double-edged sword, some teach you self-criticism, others teach you to worship yourself as a god, because a bad mood is the key to eternal depression, but all this is nonsense! Composure and concentration actually do not require your mood and this is a fact, because if you prepare yourself for something grandiose, your goal will come to you... that is, what am I talking about? Yes! Kill your neighbor, so if you act secretly, no one will know how you put it under his door, and no one will praise you, if you arrange a Texas shootout, you can take a serious risk if the neighbor's pneumatic gun shoots a couple of meters further than your satellite-guided rail gun and a burning zone of 50 m in case of an inaccurate hit. So you will seriously prepare! Here's what we'll do: get a job as a sales manager in some office selling dildos, and earn enough money to buy a chair, rope and soap, ready! Plan B is fully assembled, but plan A requires careful elaboration, because... if you break a certain law, for example, intermediaries can be set on you (in the form of children in identical suits with sequins), if you are extremely weak, and your neighbor detects your actions in advance, you may not have time to save yourself. So, let’s draw the line, according to all the laws of physics, chemistry and meanness, you can use those means that few know about, for example, by throwing poisonous hamsters into an open window or sending a notice to your neighbor about a parcel containing a leaky sealed jar of cucumbers, the main thing is to know that he must love cucumbers . And it seems like that’s all popularity, you announce the search for these same hamsters who poisoned your neighbor, and in cucumber jars your laminated business card with the inscription “dear mother-in-law, my prototypes”, but this is not enough, your neighbor was only unintentionally injured, your Defiant behavior in the form of constant farting in his presence will not create much of an effect on others, constantly inviting prostitutes to his house can only cause resentment among others, and gossip about him about the presence of weed can cost you sideways. Anticipating more plans, you suddenly find out that your neighbor is dying of diarrhea, and you won the invisible war, having received the status of a “victory specialist!” that was not taken into account by anyone! What should you do? Plan b? noooo... it will wait! From the beginning, glory, for this we find out the cause and consequences of death, let's get started: diarrhea could be caused by poisoning from the food he recently ate, we break into his house, take all the crumbs from the table and floor for examination, study their origin, study the content of pesticides, soy , and toilets in them, we take a blood test, a corpse and... stop! Wrong, we throw pieces of fugu fish into his apartment under the sofa, and announce that he often liked to go to Japanese restaurants and hide their food under the sofa, that's it!!! Did you kill him, no, did you warn him, but he didn’t listen to you, who’s right? Your ego and personality are one whole, be proud... because this is still within reason)))

Epochs change, and human morals transform. We were once taught that we need to live for the good of society, but today it is increasingly being promoted principle of reasonable egoism.

It lies in the behavior of a person in which the latter is always. And if helping another asks him to sacrifice his goods, rights, interests, then a reasonable egoist will refrain from such help.

Formed in our time principle of reasonable egoism allows you to balance between a hyper-emotional, infinitely kind, reliable, sacrificial, broad-hearted person (altruist) and an inveterate egoist who does not think about anyone, cares only about himself.

But only a person who truly objectively assesses the situation and is able to determine the fine line between reasonable and banal egoism can maintain this very precarious balance.

Some will say that there is no difference in these two forms of selfishness, and that in this way people with callous souls hide from other people’s problems.

But let's think objectively. If one person constantly helps everyone else, then when will he solve his problems?

But as selfless help is provided, those who want to receive it only become more numerous. And all because people begin to perceive such help - not as a last resort, but as something familiar and taken for granted.

In other words, they simply forget that the other person does not owe them anything in this life.

He also has, no matter how strange it may sound, his own personal life and his own problems, which no one solves for him.

And if he doesn’t ask anyone for help, it’s not because he doesn’t need it, but he simply has more conscience than others.

That is why principle of reasonable egoism not just needed, but extremely necessary in modern life, where the majority believes that the one who is lucky, everyone rides.

Reasonable selfishness allows people not to become a hostage to circumstances, a free assistant to everyone and everyone who finds it easier to ask for help than to do something on their own.

And such people, unfortunately, are the majority. From the earliest periods, the eternal “help” begins. At school it sounds like “let me copy” or “tell me.”

At the institute, “let me rewrite”, “help me make a drawing, solve a problem.” You get a job, you think that you’ve found yourself with adults, but kindergarten with the eternal tell, help, replace, borrow continues there too.

And if you believe that there is no reasonable egoism, then you will unquestioningly help everyone. But how much will you be enough? Yes, and you won’t be nice to everyone anyway.

As a result, you will gain fame as an invaluable assistant and lifesaver, and you will neglect your affairs and problems, and there will be no edge or end to such a cycle.

Using it in life principle of reasonable egoism, you go from a superhero to an ordinary person.

People around you will understand that you also have your own affairs, problems, and interests, and that you are not at all miraculously coping with the entire burden of personal concerns, and therefore you also need time to solve them.

Understanding certain truths will help you avoid becoming a real egoist:

this principle does not apply if serious problems arise with your loved ones, relatives, true friends (you should always have time for them);
If a person has a problem (a threat to life or health), then you must immediately take all possible measures to prevent it.

No one says that you should sacrifice your life for the life of another (not everyone is capable of this), but every person is obliged to call the police, call the rescue service, ambulance, firefighters, and take other emergency measures.

The concept of reasonable egoism does not fit well into ideas about public morality. For a long time it was believed that a person should put the interests of society above personal ones. Those who did not fit into these conditions were declared selfish and subjected to general censure. Psychology claims that a reasonable amount of selfishness should be present in everyone.

What is reasonable egoism?

The idea of rational egoism became an object of study not only by psychologists, but to a greater extent by philosophers, and in the 17th century, during the Age of Enlightenment, even a theory of rational egoism arose, which was finally formed by the 19th century. In it, reasonable egoism is an ethical and philosophical position that precisely encourages the preference of personal interests over any others, that is, what has been condemned for so long. Whether this theory interferes with the postulates of social life remains to be seen.

What is the theory of rational egoism?

The emergence of the theory coincides with the period of the emergence of capitalist relations in Europe. At this time, the idea is formed that every person has the right to unlimited freedom. In an industrial society, he becomes the owner of his workforce and will build relationships with society, guided by his views and ideas, including financial ones. The theory of rational egoism, created by the Enlightenment, claims that such a position is consistent with the nature of man, for whom the main thing is self-love and concern for self-preservation.

Ethics of reasonable egoism

When creating the theory, its authors made sure that the concept they formulated corresponded to their ethical and philosophical views on the problem. This was all the more important because the combination “reasonable egoist” did not fit well with the second part of the formulation, because the definition of an egoist was understood as a person who thinks only about himself and does not value the interests of the environment and society.

According to the “fathers” of the theory, this pleasant addition to the word, which always had a negative connotation, was supposed to emphasize the need, if not the priority of personal values, then at least their balance. Later, this formulation, adapted to the “everyday” understanding, began to denote a person who aligns his interests with public ones, without coming into conflict with them.

The principle of reasonable egoism in business communication

It is known that it is built on its own rules, dictated by personal or corporate benefit. It provides profitable solutions to issues that allow you to get the greatest profit and establish long-term relationships with the most useful business partners. Such communication has its own principles, which the business community has formulated and identified five main ones:

positivity;
predictability of actions;
status differences;
relevance.

In accordance with the issue under consideration, the principle of reasonable egoism attracts attention. It implies a respectful attitude towards the partner and his opinion, while clearly formulating and defending one’s own (or corporate) interests. The same principle can apply in the workplace of any employee: do your job without stopping others from doing theirs.

Examples of reasonable egoism

In everyday life, the behavior of a “reasonable egoist” is not always welcomed, and he is often declared simply an egoist. In our society, refusing a request is considered indecent, and from childhood a feeling of guilt is formed in the one who allowed himself such “liberty.” However, a competent refusal can become a clear example of correct behavior, which will not be superfluous to learn. Here are just some examples of reasonable selfishness from life.

Needs some extra work. Your boss is insisting that you stay late today to complete work that you did not do and for which you will not be paid. You can agree, canceling plans and ruining relationships with loved ones, but if you use the principle of reasonable selfishness, overcoming the feeling of fear and awkwardness, calmly explain to your boss that there is no way to reschedule (cancel) your plans. In most cases, your explanations will be understood and accepted.
My wife needs money for another new dress. In some families, it has become a tradition that the spouse demands money to buy a new dress, although the closet is full of clothes. Objections are strictly not accepted. She begins to accuse her husband of stinginess, lack of love, sheds tears, in fact, blackmails her husband. You can give in, but will this only increase love and gratitude on her part?

It is better to explain to the wife that the money has been set aside to buy a new engine for the car in which her husband takes her to work every day, and not only the good performance of the car, but also the health and life of the passengers depends on this purchase. At the same time, you should not pay attention to tears, screams and threats to go to your mother. Reasonable egoism should prevail in this situation.

An old friend once again asks to borrow money. He promises to return them in a week, although it is known that he will give them back no earlier than six months later. It is inconvenient to refuse, but in this way you can deprive your child of the promised trip to the children's center. What's more important? Don’t shame or “educate” your friend - it’s useless, but explain that you can’t leave your child without rest, especially since he’s been looking forward to this trip for a long time.

The given examples reveal two positions of the relationship that require thorough correction. Relations between people are still built on the superiority of the demanding or asking and the uncomfortable state of the one from whom they are asking. Although the theory has existed for more than two hundred years, reasonable egoism is still difficult to take root in society, which is why situations prevail:

the one who needs something insists, demands, blackmails, shouts, accuses of greed;
the one who is addressed makes excuses, explains, listens to unpleasant words addressed to him, and experiences a feeling of guilt.

Reasonable and unreasonable egoism

After the concept of reasonable egoism was released, the concept of “egoism” began to be considered in two versions: reasonable and unreasonable. The first was discussed in detail in the theory of the Enlightenment, and the second is well known from life experience. Each of them gets along in a community of people, although the formation of reasonable egoism could bring more benefits not only to society as a whole, but also to individuals in particular. Unreasonable egoism is still more understandable and accepted in everyday life. At the same time, it is often cultivated and actively planted, especially by loving parents and grandparents.