egoism

(ē'gō-ĭz'əm, ĕg'ō-)
n.

1. 1. The ethical doctrine that morality has its foundations in self-interest.
   2. The ethical belief that self-interest is the just and proper motive for all human conduct.
2. Excessive preoccupation with one's own well-being and interests, usually accompanied by an inflated sense of self-importance.
3. Egotism; conceit. See synonyms at conceit.

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1. Both are 18th century words for 'preoccupation with oneself' in various ways. There is no etymological difference to affect their meanings, and the intrusive -t- in egotism is unexplained. When Fowler wrote about these words (1926), egotism was the more popular form, and his prediction that egoism would oust it has not been fulfilled. It is useful to maintain a distinction: egotism is the general word for excessive self-centredness, whereas egoism is a more technical word in ethics and metaphysics for theories which treat the self as the basis of morality and sense-perception. In an extended meaning, egotism also means self-seeking conceit, whereas egoism is a more straightforward preoccupation with the self and an excessive use of I. The meanings are however so close that they will not stay apart in ordinary usage, nor will those of the corresponding personal designations egoist and egotist (although strictly an egoist is someone who subscribes to a type of morality based on the importance of the self and an egotist is a self-seeker) and of the adjectival forms egoistic / egoistical and egotistic / egotistical.

2. Some examples follow: (egoism and its derivatives)

I have never gone out of my way for man, woman, or child. I am the complete egoist—Vita Sackville-West, 1931

How much of us will be recognisable in the pages of the history books of 2066? This egoist's niggle spiralled up into my mind—New Statesman, 1966

He can retain his insights into another person, and use them in choices of means, without abandoning his long-term egoistic ends for the altruistic goals to which he briefly felt himself drawn—A. C. Graham, 1985

He [sc. C. S. Lewis] writes about it in unforgettably dramatic terms and with the sublime egoism (to use the word purely, with no pejorative sense) of a man alone with God—A. N. Wilson, 1990

Hutcheson thought of himself as defending the reality of moral distinctions, and the genuineness of a morally good benevolence which was not egoistically based—T. L. S. Sprigg, 1990

(egotism and its derivatives) Nothing so confirms an egotism as thinking well of oneself—Aldous Huxley, 1939

He was continually talking about himself and his relation to the world about him, a quality which created the unfortunate impression that he was simply a blatant egotist—H. Miller, 1957

To justify or to condemn them in public is a squalid piece of egotism when it will hurt the living—C. Day Lewis, 1960

I had always thought him to be egotistical and attention-seeking—D. M. Thomas, 1990

It amazed her that she'd ever believed herself in love with him, that she'd deluded herself into seeing his arrogance and his egotism as positive qualities—S. Marton, 1993.

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noun

1. Concern only for oneself: egocentricity, egocentrism, egomania, self-absorption, self-centeredness, self-involvement, selfishness. See self/other.
2. An exaggerated belief in one's own importance: egotism, self-importance. Informal bighead, bigheadedness, swelled head. See self-love/modesty.
3. A regarding of oneself with undue favor: amour-propre, conceit, ego, egotism, narcissism, pride, vainglory, vainness, vanity. Slang ego trip. See self-love/modesty.

Egoism is usually considered in two forms. Psychological egoism is the view that people are always motivated by self-interest. Ethical egoism is the view that whether or not people are like this, they ought to be like this; usually this is advanced in the form that rational behaviour requires attempting to maximize self-interest. Psychological egoism is usually thought to depend upon confusions, such as reasoning from ‘all my actions need a motive which is mine’ (true) to ‘a state of myself is the object of all my motives’ (false, or at any rate not proven). Critics such as Joseph Butler also emphasize that without other objects of desire a life spent absorbed in one's own pleasure cannot well get off the ground (see hedonism, paradox of). We need something independent to spark the pleasure. Ethical egoism is often argued to be self-defeating, in that a society of egoists do worse for themselves than a society of altruists (see prisoners' dilemma). Another fundamental objection is that it is inconsistent with the nature of trust and friendship that each party should be motivated solely by self-interest. Yet the ethical egoist gives no reason why these goods should be given up in favour of an egoistic conception of rational behaviour. See also altruism, friendship.

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IN BRIEF: The theory that places man's chief good in the completeness of self; excessive interest in oneself.

The egoism which enters into our theories does not affect their sincerity; rather, the more our egoism is satisfied, the more robust is our belief. — George Eliot, English novelist and pen name of Mary Ann Evans.

Tutor's tip: A belief in "egoism" (the view in ethics that self-interest motivates all) does not automatically make you guilty of "egotism" (self-importance, conceit, or self-centeredness).

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See words rhyming with "egoism."

Dansk (Danish)
n. - egoisme, selvhævdelse

Nederlands (Dutch)
egoïsme, zelfingenomenheid, denkrichting in de ethiek

Français (French)
n. - égoïsme

Deutsch (German)
n. - Egoismus, Selbstsucht

Ελληνική (Greek)
n. - εγωισμός, φιλαυτία

Italiano (Italian)
egoismo

Português (Portuguese)
n. - egoísmo (m)

Русский (Russian)
эгоизм

Español (Spanish)
n. - egoísmo

Svenska (Swedish)
n. - självupptagenhet

中文（简体）(Chinese (Simplified))
自我主义, 利己主义

中文（繁體）(Chinese (Traditional))
n. - 自我主義, 利己主義

한국어 (Korean)
n. - 이기주의

日本語 (Japanese)
n. - 利己主義, 自分本位, うぬぼれ

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(الاسم) أنانيه, غرور‏

עברית (Hebrew)
n. - ‮אנוכיות, אגואיזם‬

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