Blog Post 2 (The Skeptics to The Utilitarian, and Your Life)
Am I only motivated by self-interest? Has everything I’ve
ever done been motived by the idea of my own benefit? Psychological Egoism is
defined as “we are always interested chiefly in our own welfare, whether or not
we admit it. That’s not to say we don’t care about anyone or anything else, but
this caring is based on how things affect our own happiness.” (Chapter 12,
Section 3b). Aristippus and Bentham believed that psychological egoism is
natural and universal (Chapter 12, Section 3b). We seek pleasure and avoid pain
(Chapter 12, Section 3b).
I do believe that I, for my entire life, have acted on
self-interest and have sought after pleasure and tried to avoid pain. I as a
human have tried to avoid pain at all costs, I think this applies to all
humans. Most humans and animals tend to avoid pain, why? Because pain hurts and
no one likes to be hurts. The reason I act on my own self-interest is because at
the end of the day even our loved ones are primarily looking out for
themselves. We tend to choose to do what we think will benefit us the most, we
keep other people in mind too, but in my mind at least I am number one.
Like I’ve said before I work at a distribution warehouse, I
am a warehouse associate. I am just a worker I have no authority or any say
about what happens in the warehouse. Me and my coworkers all have a certain
quota we have to meet, that being we have to grab, stack, and scan three
packages from a conveyor belt every minute. My warehouse is only part time so
we work for four to five hours every day. From the beginning to the end of my
shift all the workers have to do this every single minute. Most do not meet the
quota which is why our warehouse is mostly temporary workers that are let go if
they don’t meet the quota. When I am grabbing packages and trying to be fast
and do my best I cannot help my coworkers out if they need help with one of the
heavier packages, this is because if I do I will then fall behind which at my
warehouse is really bad. If we fall behind by a certain number of packages we
can be written up and after the second write up we are let go. This is why I
act on my own self-interest and everyone else comes second to me.
We cannot always look out for our friends or people we like
because we are here in life trying to succeed like everyone else. We can’t feel
bad or sad sometimes because in the end we are just looking out for ourselves.
I try to help other people out sometimes at work but I can only do so much when
I am under pressure to meet their quota. Sometimes we feel bad but if I lost my
job trying to help someone else I would feel worst because that is what humans
try to avoid pain. I am not only motivated by self-interest but it is one of my
biggest motivations. Not everything I’ve ever done was for my own benefit but
most of my decisions have been.
Word Count: 565
Dibs
ReplyDeletePeer Comments by (Misbees)
ReplyDeleteTotal number of words: 565
Spelling errors: Motivated is spelled wrong in the first sentence.
Grammar errors: Psychological Egoism is defined as “we are always interested chiefly in our own welfare, whether or not we admit it. That’s not to say we don’t care about anyone or anything else, but this caring is based on how things affect our own happiness.” costs, I think this applies to all humans. (This is a run on sentence.) There were a few other run on sentences throughout the post. Lack of clarity: The author’s message is coherent and I can understand what the author is trying to say. I do feel there are some area that can use a little more clarity. Her sentences did not seem to match up to her thoughts. This would allow the post to flow a little smoother. I did notice that there are quite a bit of run on sentences. They would say one thing but the following sentence would state the opposite point. Organization of ideas: I do feel that the author has great organization of the idea. She stated her position and explained why she agree with the stand point she took. The author started with answering a bit of the question and provided an example. They also followed the example with additional explanation and their thoughts on it. Did the author answer their question? Yes, the author did answer the question. The author explained why it is okay to be motivated by self-interest. The author talks about how keeping up with her job is the reason she focuses more on herself than others. They can't worry about her co-workers when her own job is on the line. The author explains that, despite wanting to help those around her with the heavier packages, they simply can't because then they fall behind on her own work. The author explains that we make choices that will benefit us. We have to look out for ourselves and that is what they are doing in their own job. Did the author provide a concrete example that clearly illustrates their main point? Yes, I feel the author did provide a concrete example that illustrates the point they take. She stated that in her entire life she has acted on self-interest and have sought after pleasure and tried to avoid pain. The example puts into perspective of something that is important to have...a job. She explains that while she may want to help it is not always feasible when her own job is also on the line; thus acting in self interest every time she works. How does the author's concrete example illustrate their main point? The authors example is about her job and how she desires to help the other coworkers meet their quota but she can’t. She realized that no matter how much she likes her coworkers she desire to keep her job more; definitely showing that we are focused on our own self interest more than other at times. She illustrates her point by showing that even when help is needed she focuses on herself and puts others off to the side. She is acting in self interest and focusing only on what is expected of her to maintain her job. Do I agree or disagree with the author's answer and why? I agree with the author. We as individuals are motivated mostly by self-interest. We care about others but most choices are about self-interest. I think we instinctively choose the option that benefits ourselves more than others. It doesn't mean we don't care about others but we put ourselves first.What is the concrete example that clearly illustrates why you agree or disagree with the author? I feel as though I also act in my own self-interest before other in my daily job. I make sure that my work is done before I allow myself to help others. It isn't that I have a quota to meet like the author but I focus on myself more than my co-workers to ensure that I am getting my stuff done first. Looking into my job, I show that I agree with the author because I make sure that I am doing what is needed of me before anything else.
Nice peer-review Misbees!
DeleteI do agree with my peer review responder’s assessment. Showing me the specific sentences that are run on sentences would be very helpful though. The reason one sentence would say one thing and the next would say another was because I was trying to get my point through. I thought I did a good job explaining my point of view and my answer to my question. The responder also agrees that we all as individuals are motivated by self-interest when we are working. We help ourselves first and our coworkers second. This is what I was trying to get across and I am glad I did. One more thing, I know it is hard to tell if someone is a male or female because we are just reading text on a blog but I am a male. Thank you for your feedback.
ReplyDeleteAm I only motivated by self-interest? Has everything I’ve ever done been motived by the idea of my own benefit? Psychological Egoism is defined as “we are always interested chiefly in our own welfare, whether or not we admit it. That’s not to say we don’t care about anyone or anything else, but this caring is based on how things affect our own happiness.” (Chapter 12, Section 3b). <--[Check your citation style again with the Chicago Manual of Style. There should be no period before the closing quotation mark. Also, although your use of this quote is acceptable, try not to depend on quotes to do the work or explaining for you. Students do this way too often. You should try to paraphrase the information, put it in your own words as accurately as possible, staying true to the author's intention. This should also help you process the information contained in the quote a bit more, which would help with thinking about it. The only time you should use a quote is if you are trying to prove that an author said something or if you want to reference a particular way an author said something. In another case, offering a paraphrase and citation information should be enough.]
ReplyDeleteAristippus and Bentham believed that psychological egoism is natural and universal (Chapter 12, Section 3b). We seek pleasure and avoid pain (Chapter 12, Section 3b).
I do believe that I, for my entire life, have acted on self-interest and have sought after pleasure and tried to avoid pain. I as a human have tried to avoid pain at all costs, I think this applies to all humans. Most humans and animals tend to avoid pain, why? Because pain hurts and no one likes to be hurts. <--[Something to think about: Are all "pains" the same, as in things that are to be avoided? What about the "pain" that is caused from exercise or thinking about things really long and hard, or the pain of dealing with things you don't want to do because you know you need to do them in order to do what you want to do?]
The reason I act on my own self-interest is because at the end of the day even our loved ones are primarily looking out for themselves. We tend to choose to do what we think will benefit us the most, we keep other people in mind too, but in my mind at least I am number one. <--[Do you think this attitude is an aspect of human nature or do you think it is more an aspect of culture. Also, is there a way in which we can think about things such that we understand that the interests of others are intertwined with our own self-interests, such that in many cases doing what is best for us requires doing what is best for others too?]
Like I’ve said before I work at a distribution warehouse, I am a warehouse associate. I am just a worker I have no authority or any say about what happens in the warehouse. Me and my coworkers all have a certain quota we have to meet, that being we have to grab, stack, and scan three packages from a conveyor belt every minute. My warehouse is only part time so we work for four to five hours every day. From the beginning to the end of my shift all the workers have to do this every single minute. Most do not meet the quota which is why our warehouse is mostly temporary workers that are let go if they don’t meet the quota. When I am grabbing packages and trying to be fast and do my best I cannot help my coworkers out if they need help with one of the heavier packages, this is because if I do I will then fall behind which at my warehouse is really bad. If we fall behind by a certain number of packages we can be written up and after the second write up we are let go. This is why I act on my own self-interest and everyone else comes second to me.
ReplyDeleteWe cannot always look out for our friends or people we like because we are here in life trying to succeed like everyone else. We can’t feel bad or sad sometimes because in the end we are just looking out for ourselves. I try to help other people out sometimes at work but I can only do so much when I am under pressure to meet their quota. Sometimes we feel bad but if I lost my job trying to help someone else I would feel worst because that is what humans try to avoid pain. I am not only motivated by self-interest but it is one of my biggest motivations. Not everything I’ve ever done was for my own benefit but most of my decisions have been. <--[Something to think about: The question that is central to your thinking about self-interests is the question of what we ought to do (morally speaking) when our own self-interest is in conflict with the interests of others or society's as a whole? This is a perennial question in ethics, and it is very important for us to all consider especially considering all the things that is going on in our world today. One thing you might ask yourself is whether or not being a good person would require you to sacrifice yourself, and if so, if there is a limit to how much sacrifice being a good person ought to require. Living in a society with others seems to require that we make some sacrifices, but what should those be and how much should be sacrificed? Another thing you might ask yourself is whether or not some people, for example those who are in a different socio-economic situation, have different kinds of moral obligations or whether or not what it means for them to sacrifice themselves is very different from what it might mean for people in other socio-economic situations. $100 dollars a day might mean nothing to someone who has millions or billions of dollars, but it might mean the difference between living a good life and or not for others. Finally, you might ask yourself whether or not morality would require you, specifically, in the situation that you were in to feel bad about the fact that you chose not to help your friend? This too is a very important question. If the answer is no, a further step would be to ask in what circumstances would morality require you to feel bad about not helping someone.]
[Overall, this was a nice blog post. Well written, clear, and too the point.]
Best wishes,
Dr. Mun