Module 3 : Preliminary Theories

=======================================

“We are all here on earth to help others. What I can’t figure out is what the others are here for.” – W. H. Auden. Discuss.

          We are all here on earth to help others. That is just the very reason on why our existence is of great importance here on earth. “No man is an island” is what they say. God created us to help each other when we are in need, that we can have someone whom we can share through ups and downs. You can’t go to the battle in life alone is what I believe that is why, you have someone with you to face the battle together. In good times and in bad times, you always want to have someone whom you can share with. But, we must remember that we should help ourselves to be the best that we can be. Also, when helping someone, help with all your heart putting into it without thinking on what they can give you in return for when you help others; you also help build yourself to become a better person.   

=======================================

Ethical egoists think that people will be happiest if they look out for themselves and not concern themselves with others but is this where true human happiness lies? Discuss.

          What is true happiness? What sort of things that can make people really happy? Are just some of the questions that most people are trying to find out the answer in their own ways. Happiness is something that we earn for. It is not something that can be achieved with just a blink of an eye. A quote from Allan K. Chalmers states that, “The grand essentials of happiness are: something to do, something to love, and something to hope for.” This quote is very true. True happiness is doing something that we love and hoping that on what we do; contentment and being proud with oneself must be achieved. Happiness doesn’t always require money, success or fame. It doesn’t always mean how much we have. It is the enjoyment of what you that makes you happy.

          Ethical egoists think that people will be happiest if they look out for themselves and not concern themselves with others. But, for my personal opinion, true happiness doesn’t lie when you are only looking to yourself that can make you happy not concerning other people’s happiness. True happiness for me is something that when I am capable of doing something and making myself happy and contented for what I am doing concerning all the people around me and knowing that they are happy and proud for what I do. True happiness is something that can be shared and treasured for the rest of your life with the ones you treasured the most.

=======================================

What are the roots of egoism? Where does it come from? What do egotistical people fear????

        Egoism is a teleological theory of ethics that sets as its goal the benefit, pleasure, or greatest good of the oneself alone (http://webs.wofford.edu/kaycd/ethics/egoism.htm).  For my personal opinion, the root of egoism is pride. Just like pride, egoism merely talks about oneself and not concerning others. Pride is the state of being proud of oneself and what can make herself/himself happy. Egoism originally comes from oneself. It is not from the external factors like the ones around us but it merely comes from the inside feeling of a person. Egotistical people fear I think is that when the time comes that you just have to lessen down one’s ego. Changing from what you already are, an example is that when a person is an egoistic one and changing oneself into a non-egoistic one, might be hard for them. They fear that the people in the society might look down on them and that they might think that this can degrade themselves.

=======================================