The ethical theory known as ethical egoism states that we are always morally required to do what’s in our own self-interest: the view is sometimes called an “ethics of selfishness.” This essay introduces ethical egoism. This essay explores ethical egoism and the main arguments for and against it.
Tag: medical ethics
Euthanasia, or Mercy Killing
There are people in very bad medical conditions who want to die. Can it be morally permissible to let them die? Advocates of “passive euthanasia” argue that it can be. Their reasons, however, suggest that it can sometimes be not wrong to actively kill some patients, i.e., that “active euthanasia” can be permissible also. This essay reviews these arguments.
The Ethics of Abortion
Abortion involves the intentional killing of a being that is biologically human. Killing "human beings" is often deeply wrong, so is abortion wrong? If so, when? And why?