There are no altruistic good deeds. All so-called “good deeds” are selfish. This is called psychological selfishness. Proponents of the various ethical and moral theories of our world might dispute these claims. A utilitarian would say that a good action is represented by what is best for everyone; what would create the most overall happiness. An ethicist would weigh the pros and cons and decide what their overall moral duty is in the situation. An egoist would do what is best for him and morally decide what will best serve his interests. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an Original Essay Let us return, however, to the first statements, that there are no good deeds. Philosophers, sociologists, doctors, and many other high-ranking “public servants” will totally disagree with these statements, but according to psychological egoism, they are entirely true. When a good deed is performed, even something as simple as holding a door open for someone else, the person who performed the action feels good in their heart, so the action is now become a selfish good deed. Even a larger scale act, like donating a large sum of money or even donating an organ to a stranger, ultimately the act made that person happy or better about their behavior, thus transforming yet another times the act into a good selfish act. The improved definition of psychological egoism states that “each person has only one ultimate goal: his or her own well-being.” (Razor) This definition includes the fact that individuals will seek to help those they care about, as this is also part of their own well-being. Selfishness, however, should not be confused with self-interest. “Actions in self-interest are not necessarily selfish actions. For example, it is in your best interest to obey the law, exercise, and enroll in college, but no one would argue that it is selfish of you. (Philosophy) An egoist will not agree with this, however. If it is in your interest to obey the law or want to be punished, individuals will follow the law because they do not want to be punished and therefore commit selfish acts; by obeying the law and protecting yourself, you have now been selfish. All people are selfish, whether they believe it or not. “Psychological selfishness is supported by our frequent observation of self-serving behaviors.” (Razor) A utilitarian believes in doing what will benefit the greatest number of people with the greatest amount of happiness. The trolley problem is best represented by utilitarianism. In the case where a tram or train is running loose on the tracks and you have the opportunity to press a magic button and save five strangers while sacrificing the life of one stranger; As a utilitarian you must save the lives of the five strangers. But let's change the scenario a bit and say that you can either save the five strangers or save your own child; the utilitarian would still save the five strangers. A selfish person would save his own child. To claim that in this scenario and saving one's own child is morally wrong is completely absurd. Of course, any normal human being would save their own child. It is selfish to only care about yourself and those you love, instead of caring about strangers in another country, but there is nothing morally wrong with that. As human beings we can feel empathy or sympathy towards a situation (e.g. starving children in Africa), we can even donate money to.