Are Humans Selfish? Reading the Debates of British Moralists

2022/07/22

Recently, "altruism," which aims for the benefit of others, has become something of a trend, and many books with "altruism" in the title have been published. While it is certainly a good thing that "altruism" is becoming a trend, it also means that "selfishness," which aims for one's own benefit, has become commonplace in the modern era. However, looking back at history, "selfishness" was strongly discouraged in ancient and medieval times. So, when and how did "selfishness" become commonplace? In this book, I have clarified this by tracing the debates of modern British moralists (moral thinkers).

In modern Britain, moralists have debated self-interest (self-love). Thomas Hobbes, who laid the foundation for modern political society, believed that humans are naturally selfish, but many moralists opposed Hobbes and believed that humans are also naturally altruistic. However, far from denying self-interest, they generally affirmed it, and some even appeared who tried to justify it. For example, Bernard Mandeville, an early commentator on modern economic society, argued that self-interest brings benefits to society, and Adam Smith, famous as the father of economics, argued that in a free society, individual interests and social interests coincide. Furthermore, the moralists who criticized Hobbes, Mandeville, and Smith also contributed to the justification of self-interest by viewing it as rational or by advocating for the harmony between self-interest and altruism (benevolence). This is how "selfishness" became commonplace in modern Britain.

Although this debate took place among modern British moralists, its significance is important considering that Britain led the modern era, that Hobbes and Smith had a major influence on the formation of modern society, and that modern society is connected to our society today. In the present day, where "selfishness" has become the norm, in order to prevent "altruism" from ending as a mere trend, it is necessary to reconsider "selfishness" based on this debate.

Are Humans Selfish? Reading the Debates of British Moralists

Hisanori Tsuge

Keio University Mita Philosophy Society Series

106 pages, 770 yen (tax included)

*Affiliations and titles are as of the time of publication.