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Ethics 102

6/21/16

Should One Base Morality on Self-interest?

Kurt Baier, argues that morality is entirely based on self-interest (Baier 188). Baier was attempting to justify that morality is grounded on rationality. He argued that morality is a system of reasons of mutual advantage suitable when everyone chooses to follow their interests to provide suboptimal consequences to others. If people appeal to non-self-interest reasons to justify our moral behavior, then the reasons might appear to be discreetly moral hence questioning the egoistic opponents of morality. According to him, the main reason for morality is to produce reasons that rule over the reasons of self-interest incase people follow the concept of self-interest to harm others. Baier (190) argues that morality requires individuals to act upon explanations of mutual advantage and not self-sacrifice. Accordingly, deep and universal human experience is that there are values outside human beings that govern their lives, that some actions are good, while others are evil, and that it is meaningful even to sacrifice one's own life for the sake of others. However, if all people believed that morality is based on self-interest, some people would argue to be acting immorally while hurting others. Consequently, moral reasons are applicable only when there is enough enforcement system that makes it unprofitable to act against those reasons. This makes it evident that morality should not be based entirely on self-interest. For this reason, morality has some deeper roots on reality than Kurt's views and therefore, this paper will challenge the notion that morality is based on self-interest.

Accordingly, it cannot be in everyone's interest for everyone to be moral. This is because the society may have set goals and guidelines to enhance morality but some people might not be ready to adhere to them. Although the collective interest of the society may be served by every person being moral, it may not essentially apply to people individually (Bloomfield 50). Consequently, basing our morality on self-interest is an effort towards living in a society that is morally upright, however, the moral deliberations do not personally control us. For instance, if the police are pursuing an individual for murder, it would be to their advantage if the police accepted a bribe to release them. However, the immoral acts of the police may not be for the best of the society but would certainly serve the self-interest of the murder. Kurt would have accepted what the murder did as right since he believed that considering that both parties did what they were interested in both benefitted, then the act is morally right (Baier 50). Therefore, rather than morality being based on self-interest, it derives its force from the unchallengeable human rights and inherent human dignity.

Morality exists so that our dignity as human beings can receive its ultimate and complete meaning. However, this cannot be possible if morality is based on self-interest. Human freedom ad rights are based on morality. Human beings receive, but they also have to give. This giving makes human beings share in what is noblest and greatest in the universe. However, as noble as it is, this moral act of giving and sharing would not be possible if everyone acts to serve their self-interests.

Although the interests of human beings may determine the origins of human morality, it is not the definitive ground for moral behavior. It should not determine what is in the common self-interest of the human race. Human beings have a moral obligation to help other people and should not harm the wellbeing of others to serve their own. However, if morality is based entirely on self-interest, people would treat their interests with the highest regard at the expense of others.

In conclusion, the roots of morality are not based on the common self-interest. However, they are based on the respect for what human beings are as well as the inherent human dignity. Morality should not be based on self-interest, but on the respect for humanity, rights of others, and the authority of the reality that give people existence.

Works Cited

Baier, Kurt. The Moral Point of View: A Rational Basis of Ethics. Abridged Ed. with a New Pref. by the Author. Random House, 1966.

Bloomfield, Paul. Morality and Self-interest. Oxford University Press, 2007.