Indirect self-interest

Indirect self-interest

Indirect self-interest refers to self-interest which is broader than the self-interest limited to one’s personal situation. For instance, a soldier may fight on behalf of his country; he may be wounded or get killed, but the interest of his own country is at stake, so his action is prompted by self-interest. This situation may coincide with him fighting in his direct self-interest (if he is out for fame, or another gain). Another example is provided by the behaviour of firefighters who try to rescue someone while putting their own lives at stake: their self-interest lies in the fact that they want the person in need saved.

In some situations, the demarcation between direct and indirect self-interest may be unclear or even impossible to determine.

Literature

*Jasper Doomen, "Smith’s Analysis of Human Actions", pp. 113, 114. Appeared in: "Ethic@. An International Journal for Moral Philosophy" vol. 4, nr. 2 (December 2005), pp. 111-122


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем сделать НИР

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Self-interest — can refer to any of the following concepts:*Egoism *Selfishness *Ethical egoism *Psychological egoism *Individualism *Objectivist ethics *Hedonism *Epicureanism *Enlightened self interest *Indirect self interest …   Wikipedia

  • Indirect self-reference — describes an object referring to itself indirectly .For example, define the function f such that f(x) = x(x) . Any function passed as an argument to f is invoked with itself as an argument, and thus in any use of that argument is indirectly… …   Wikipedia

  • Self-esteem — In psychology, self esteem reflects a person s overall evaluation or appraisal of her or his own worth.Self esteem encompasses beliefs (for example, I am competent/incompetent ) and emotions (for example, triumph/, pride/shame). Behavior may… …   Wikipedia

  • Japan Self-Defense Forces — Military of Japan redirects here. For earlier military forces of the country, see Military history of Japan. JSDF redirects here. For other uses, see Japan Social Development Fund. Japan Self Defense Forces 日本国自衛隊 …   Wikipedia

  • France — /frans, frahns/; Fr. /frddahonns/, n. 1. Anatole /ann nann tawl /, (Jacques Anatole Thibault), 1844 1924, French novelist and essayist: Nobel prize 1921. 2. a republic in W Europe. 58,470,421; 212,736 sq. mi. (550,985 sq. km). Cap.: Paris. 3.… …   Universalium

  • Australia — /aw strayl yeuh/, n. 1. a continent SE of Asia, between the Indian and the Pacific oceans. 18,438,824; 2,948,366 sq. mi. (7,636,270 sq. km). 2. Commonwealth of, a member of the Commonwealth of Nations, consisting of the federated states and… …   Universalium

  • Europe, history of — Introduction       history of European peoples and cultures from prehistoric times to the present. Europe is a more ambiguous term than most geographic expressions. Its etymology is doubtful, as is the physical extent of the area it designates.… …   Universalium

  • japan — japanner, n. /jeuh pan /, n., adj., v., japanned, japanning. n. 1. any of various hard, durable, black varnishes, originally from Japan, for coating wood, metal, or other surfaces. 2. work varnished and figured in the Japanese manner. 3. Japans,… …   Universalium

  • Japan — /jeuh pan /, n. 1. a constitutional monarchy on a chain of islands off the E coast of Asia: main islands, Hokkaido, Honshu, Kyushu, and Shikoku. 125,716,637; 141,529 sq. mi. (366,560 sq. km). Cap.: Tokyo. Japanese, Nihon, Nippon. 2. Sea of, the… …   Universalium

  • Germany — /jerr meuh nee/, n. a republic in central Europe: after World War II divided into four zones, British, French, U.S., and Soviet, and in 1949 into East Germany and West Germany; East and West Germany were reunited in 1990. 84,068,216; 137,852 sq.… …   Universalium

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
… Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”