A note on ethical egoism

Philosophical Studies -     

Value inquiry: Insensitivity,egoism, and the ethical community

Editorial

Value inquiry: Insensitivity, egoism, and the ethical community     

Testimony,epistemic egoism,and epistemic credit

It is generally acknowledged that testifiers can play a central role in the production of knowledge and other valuable epistemic states in others. But does such a role warrant any form of epistemic credit and is an agent more successful qua epistemic agent insofar as she is a successful testifier? I here propose an affirmative answer to both questions. The core of the current paper consists in a sustained defense of this proposal against a series of objections. I further argue that the proposal allows us to recognize an important additional epistemic harm that arises in cases of testimonial injustice beyond those described by Miranda Fricker. Finally, I conclude by distinguishing between four kinds of credit—distinctions that allow us to avoid inappropriately attributing epistemic credit in problematic cases. If the current proposal is correct, our understanding of successful epistemic agents needs to be significantly modified in order to take into account their role in producing epistemically valuable states in others.     

Beliefs and values as possible correlates of ethical awareness in business

The relationship between retailing students' beliefs and values about life and their reactions to and perceptions of ethical dilemmas in retailing settings was investigated. One hundred and two male and female college students majoring in retailing were asked to complete the Beliefs and Values Questionnaire (BVQ) and to indicate their agreement with a variety of actions taken in retailing situations. Participants were also asked to indicate the extent to which the scenarios presented were representative of ethical problems or issues. With a few exceptions, results of this exploratory study did not support the contention that beliefs and values, as a measure of ethical orientation, are related to one's perception of retailing scenarios as either ethical or unethical. Discussion focuses on the need for more rigorous, systematic research to identify the correlates of ethical or unethical behavior and also the need for more direct investigation of the link between ethical decision making and students' ethical orientation. It is argued that such research is necessary as a prerequisite to ethics education.The author expresses gratitude to the College for Human Development at Syracuse University for initial funding for this project.     

Ethical egoism and the moral point of view

I thank Peter Winch and Robert Stecker for their critical comments on an earlier version of this paper.     

Actions,Beliefs, and Consequences

Philosophical Studies -