Introduce Ethical Egoism as presented by one of the following:
a. Glaucon in Plato’s dialogue The Republic (Gyges’s Ring thinking experiment)
b. Thomas Hobbes (the “war of all against all” as the human condition before the social contract)
c. Ayn Rand (altruism as “moral cannibalism”).
Discuss the main arguments for and against Ethical Egoism. Peter Singer believes Reciprocal Altruism is a more rational option while Franz de Waal maintains that the “capacity for caring for others is the bedrock of our moral system” and that the principal function of morality is to “protect and nurture this caring capacity . . . so that it can effectively balance other human tendencies that need little encouragement.”
What is your own ethical position? Explain and illustrate.