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The positivist egoist, whose theory is called psychological egoism, offers an explanation of human affairs, in effect a description of human nature, which he or she believes to be wholly self-centred and self-motivated. In its strong form the theory asserts that people always act in their own interests, even though they may disguise their motivation with references to helping others or doing their duty. Opponents exploit counter-factual evidence to criticize the theory-surely, they claim, there …

…about the negative consequences of a diminished reputation. However, impartiality considerations demand an alternative course-reasonably it is not right to change g! rades to make life easier. Here self-interest conflicts with reason. In a different scenario, game theory points to a possible logical flaw in rational egoism by offering an example in which the pursuit of self-interest results in both agents being made worse off. This is famously described in the Prisoner's Dilemma. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ **Bibliography**