Reasonable selfishness

Reasonable selfishness- a term often used in recent years to denote a philosophical and ethical position that establishes for each subject the fundamental priority of the subject's personal interests over any other interests, be it public interests or the interests of other subjects.

The need for a separate term is apparently due to the negative semantic connotation traditionally associated with the term "egoism". If under selfish(without the qualifying word "reasonable") is often understood as a person thinking only of himself and/or neglecting the interests of others, then the supporters reasonable selfishness» usually argue that such neglect, for a variety of reasons, is simply disadvantageous for the neglectful and, therefore, is not selfishness (in the form of the priority of personal interests over any others), but only a manifestation of short-sightedness or even stupidity. Reasonable egoism in the everyday sense is ability to live by one's own interests without conflicting with the interests of others.

The concept of rational egoism is closely related to the concept of "individualism".

Story

The concept of rational selfishness is by no means new; the corresponding reasoning is found in the works of such philosophers as Benedict Spinoza, Claude Adrian Helvetius and others.

The theme of rational egoism can also be traced in the famous novel by N. G. Chernyshevsky “What is to be done?” .

Modern social currents that support reasonable selfishness

Rational egoism is the ethical foundation of objectivism.

Many supporters of Satanism declare their adherence to the principles of reasonable egoism.

The principle of reasonable selfishness is considered by many representatives of the voluntarily childless (childfree) to be decisive for their position.

The theory of reasonable egoism is widely developed and disclosed in the work of the American writer Ayn Rand, in her works Atlas Shrugged and "".

From the point of view of psychology

From the point of view of psychology, selfishness is inherent in all mentally healthy people, as it is a consequence of the conservation instinct. Selfishness is not a good or bad assessment, but a character trait that can be developed to a greater or lesser extent. Among its manifestations there is superegoism (I am everything, the rest is zero), egoism-self-destruction (I am nothing, look what a nonentity I am) and healthy egoism (understanding one’s own and others’ needs and harmonizing them with one’s own benefit). Anegoism can be attributed to the realm of fantasy or serious illness. There are no mentally healthy people who do not take care of themselves at all. In a word, it is difficult to live well without reasonable egoism. After all, the main advantage of a person with healthy egoism is the ability to solve their problems taking into account the interests of others and competently build a system of priorities.

Your selfishness is perfectly healthy if you:

• stand up for your right to refuse something if you think it will harm you;
• understand that your goals will be implemented in the first place, but others are entitled to their interest;
• you know how to do things in your favor, trying not to harm others, and are able to compromise;
• have your own opinion and are not afraid to speak out, even when it differs from someone else's;
• ready to defend themselves by any means if you or your loved ones are in danger;
• do not be afraid to criticize someone, but do not go over to rudeness;
• do not obey anyone, but do not seek to control others;
• respect the wishes of the partner, but do not step over yourself;
• do not suffer from guilt, having made a choice in your favor;
• love and respect yourself without demanding blind adoration from others.

In terms of mathematics

Reasonable selfishness is the choice of those strategies that are consistent with the mathematics of reducing the pain of sentient reality (after biodecay) while minimizing pain for yourself while you live. All possible hypotheses about the nature of pain, both electromagnetic and otherwise, are considered, if they are consistent with observations. Those. from all strategies, choose the one that is min(summ(pain), infinity), provided min(my(pain), life). Those. to please yourself now, thinking about the nature of pain and the role of humanity. In reducing pain in the universe for oneself, but after biodegradation (death).

Altruism is the choice of those strategies that are consistent with the mathematics of reducing the pain of reality, regardless of the pain in life. That is, to introduce technologies to reduce pain in the Universe, regardless of the pain in life. The role of the agent of the Universe. The study of pain, the creation of new more progressive forms of life, the change of reality in order to reduce its pain perception.

Unreasonable destructive selfishness - the choice of those strategies that contradict the mathematics of reducing the pain of reality, increase it. Usually, people who, due to weak logic and little knowledge, on the one hand, are afraid to commit suicide ("it's worse there"), on the other hand, abstract from the question of the existence of pain in reality. At the moment, electromagnetic hypotheses of pain are the main ones (gate theory and others).

Unreasonable self-destructive selfishness - the choice of those strategies that give a small gain, but a big loss later.

Notes

Criticism

Links

• Nikolai Naritsyn. Reasonable egoism (reasonable egoism as a recommendation of a professional psychoanalyst and psychotherapist)
• Andrey "Varraks" Bortsov. Reasonable selfishness (Satanism and reasonable selfishness)

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See what "Reasonable egoism" is in other dictionaries:

Reasonable selfishness- a term introduced by Chernyshevsky to denote the ethical principles he developed. At the heart of Chernyshevsky's ethics, largely built under the influence of the teachings of fr. materialists of the 18th century, as well as C. Fourier and L. Feuerbach, lie the attitudes, the meaning to ... ... Russian Philosophy. Encyclopedia

REASONABLE EGOISM- a term introduced by Chernyshevsky to denote the ethical principles he developed. At the heart of Chernyshevsky's ethics, largely built under the influence of the teachings of fr. materialists of the 18th century, as well as C. Fourier and L. Feuerbach, lie the attitudes, the meaning of kryh ... ... Russian Philosophy: Dictionary

REASONABLE EGOISM- an ethical concept put forward by the enlighteners of the 17th-8th centuries. which is based on the principle that the rightly understood interest must coincide with the public interest. Although a person is by nature an egoist and acts only out of his own interest, out of ... ... Thematic philosophical dictionary

REASONABLE EGOISM is an ethical doctrine that assumes that: a) all human actions are based on an egoistic motive (the desire for good for oneself); b) reason allows you to select from the total volume of motives those that constitute a correctly understood ... Philosophical Encyclopedia

selfishness- a, m. égoïsme m. 1. Philosophy, affirming the actual existence of only the soul. 70s 18th century Exchange. 156. Disgust towards Hisism, according to which everything refers only to itself. Interlocutor 1783 2 24. False sensitivity relates everything only to itself; on … Historical Dictionary of Gallicisms of the Russian Language

This article needs to be completely rewritten. There may be explanations on the talk page ... Wikipedia

Egoism (from Latin ego "I") 1) psychological term: The value orientation of the subject, characterized by the predominance of selfish personal interests and needs in his life, regardless of the interests of other people and social groups. ... ... Wikipedia

The terms "selfishness" and "egotism" can refer to: Selfish behavior, entirely determined by the thought of one's own benefit, benefit. Reasonable selfishness is the belief that, first of all, you need to act in your own interests. Solipsism (sometimes ... ... Wikipedia

Society imposes its standards and norms of behavior on a person, following which people often become unhappy. We are taught from childhood to put the interests of other people above our own, and those who do not follow this rule are called selfish and harsh. Today, psychologists and philosophers have begun to discuss the topic of healthy egoism, which, in their opinion, should be present in every person. Examples from the life of reasonable selfishness for understanding children will be further discussed on this page "Popular about health".

What is reasonable selfishness?

First, let's define what this term means. For people who grew up in a society where any selfishness is condemned, it will be difficult to feel this fine line between two concepts - self-centeredness and altruism. To understand the definition, you should first remember who the egoists and altruists are.

Egoists are people who always put their own interests above the interests of other people. They are looking for their own benefit and self-interest in all matters, to achieve the goal they use any methods, go over their heads. Even the fact that their actions will harm other people will not stop them. They are too self-confident, their self-esteem is greatly inflated.

Altruists are the exact opposite of selfish people. Their self-esteem is so low that they are ready to sacrifice everything for the sake of others. Such people easily respond to the requests of others, they are ready to put aside their affairs, including important ones, in order to help another person.

Now, when both concepts are considered, it is easier to realize what reasonable egoism is. In simple words, this is the "golden mean" between the two extremes - egocentrism and altruism. Healthy or reasonable egoism is not a negative, but a positive quality, it should not be condemned in society. Thanks to healthy egoism, a person becomes happier.

Why healthy selfishness is good?

Reasonable selfishness is useful for a person for the following reasons:

It helps to gain adequate self-esteem;
- Thanks to this quality, a person is able to achieve many of his goals, while not harming others;
- A reasonable egoist does not miss the opportunities that open before him and is able to enjoy life to the fullest;
- Thanks to this quality, a person knows how to refuse people if he sees fit, he is not burdened by a sense of guilt, duty and obligation to others.

Does the above mean that a reasonable egoist is not able to help the people around him? No, it doesn't. Such people are able to come to the rescue, but at the same time they will not sacrifice their health, life, family interests for the sake of others.

Guided by sound egoism, these people will first weigh the pros and cons, and then make an informed decision. We can say that they assess the situation, looking far ahead. If a reasonable egoist considers that having yielded to someone today, he will gain good in the future, he will definitely do so.

Examples of reasonable selfishness from life for children

As children grow, they need to be taught a balanced view of things. You can not call them selfish if they defend their interests, while not harming others. Of course, to explain to children what reasonable egoism is, you need to use examples, preferably your own, because kids do not listen to us, they look at us.

A typical example of healthy selfishness will be shown by a mother who does not give the last thing to the child, but shares everything with him in half. In society, there will immediately be those who will say - a bad mother, children are given the best. But she looks to the future, because when the son or daughter grows up, they will understand that their mother loved them and herself. If the mother always gives everything to the children, they will grow up to be real egoists, because for them it is the norm that the mother will give the last thing so that they feel good, while sacrificing their desires and needs.

Let's consider one more example of the manifestation of healthy egoism, it will be clear to children. Let's say Vasya has collected a collection of stickers on the theme of a famous cartoon, it is very dear to him. And Petya has not yet had time to collect a complete collection, he lacks 2 stickers. He asked Vasya for one missing item for his collection. A child with healthy egoism will be able to refuse Petya, because he spent a lot of time and effort searching for the right pictures. The altruist will most likely give his friend all the missing pictures. And an example of unhealthy egocentrism in this situation will be Petya, if he steals the stickers he needs from Vasya, having received a refusal, or achieves their receipt by other methods - pressure, blackmail, force.

In the described situation, there may be a different outcome - a reasonable egoist Vasya can make a different decision, give the missing pictures to a friend, if the relationship with a friend is much more important for him. A person who has a balanced view of his own "I" freely makes decisions, while he can refuse to help or help, but he does not harm anyone.

Another example - on an airplane, if it crashes, the mother must put on the oxygen mask first on herself, and then on the child. This does not mean that she wants to save herself at all costs. She saves herself to be able to help the baby.

As we found out, being selfish is bad, altruistic too, but having a balanced view of self-esteem and self-sacrifice is right. It is easier for such people to achieve goals and achieve success without destroying relationships with others, without harming them.

Reasonable egoism is a term often used in the last years of the nineteenth century to denote a philosophical and ethical position that establishes for each subject the fundamental priority of the subject's personal interests over any other interests, be it public interests or the interests of other subjects.

The need for a separate term is apparently due to the negative semantic connotation traditionally associated with the term "egoism". If an egoist (without the qualifying word “reasonable”) is often understood as a person who thinks only about himself and / or neglects the interests of other people, then supporters of “reasonable egoism” usually argue that such neglect, for a number of reasons, is simply unprofitable for the neglectful and, therefore, it is not selfishness (in the form of the priority of personal interests over any others), but only a manifestation of short-sightedness or even stupidity. Reasonable selfishness in the everyday sense is the ability to live in one's own interests, without contradicting the interests of others.

The concept of rational egoism began to take shape in modern times, the first discussions on this topic are already found in the works of Spinoza and Helvetius, but it was presented in full only in Chernyshevsky's novel What Is To Be Done? In the 20th century, the ideas of rational selfishness are revived by Ayn Rand in the collection of essays The Virtue of Selfishness, the story Hymn, and the novels The Fountainhead and Atlas Shrugged. In the philosophy of Ayn Rand, rational egoism is inseparable from rationalism in thinking and objectivism in ethics. Psychotherapist Nathaniel Branden also dealt with rational egoism.

The concept of "reasonable egoism". This concept emphasizes that the social responsibility of business is simply “good business” because it helps to reduce long-term profit losses. By implementing social programs, the corporation reduces its current profits, but in the long run creates a favorable social environment for its employees and territories of its activities, while creating conditions for the stability of its own profits. This concept fits into the theory of rational behavior of economic agents.

The essence of reasonable selfishness is that in the economy it is customary to consider opportunity costs when doing business. If they are higher, then the case is not being conducted, because. you can, for example, invest your resources in another business with greater profit. The key word is benefit. For the economy and business, this is normal.

But as for the sphere of human relations, the principle of profit (the leading principle of economics) turns people into animals and devalues ​​the essence of human life. Relationships in line with reasonable egoism are guided by the assessment of the benefits from various relationships with people and the choice of the most beneficial relationship. Any mercy, manifestation of selfless love, even true charity with the so-called. reasonable egoist - meaningless. Only mercy, philanthropy, charity for the sake of PR, receiving benefits, and various posts make sense.

Another mistake of reasonable egoism is the equating of good and good. This is at least not reasonable. Those. rational egoism contradicts itself.

Reasonable selfishness is the ability to find a balance between the needs of people and their own capabilities.

Reasonable egoism is characterized by a greater understanding of life, and this is a more subtle kind of egoism. It can also be directed to the material, but the way of obtaining or achieving is more reasonable and less obsessed with "I, me, mine." Such people have an understanding of what this obsession leads to, and they see and use more subtle ways to get what they want, which brings less suffering to themselves and others. Such people are more reasonable (ethical) and less selfish, they do not go over the heads of others or through, do not commit violence of any kind and are inclined to honest cooperation and exchange, taking into account the interests of all with whom they deal.

The theory of rational egoism originates from the philosophical constructions of such outstanding thinkers of the 17th century as Locke, Hobbes, Puffendorf, Grotius. The notion of a "lonely Robinson" who had unlimited freedom in his natural state and exchanged this natural freedom for social rights and obligations was brought to life by a new mode of activity and management and corresponded to the position of the individual in an industrial society, where everyone owned some kind of property (let even only for their own labor force), i.e. acted as a private owner and, consequently, counted on himself, his own sound judgment about the world and his own decision. He proceeded from his own interests, and they could not be discounted in any way, since the new type of economy, primarily industrial production, is based on the principle of material interest.

This new social situation was reflected in the ideas of the enlighteners about man as a natural being, all the properties of which, including personal interest, are determined by nature. Indeed, in accordance with their bodily essence, everyone seeks to receive pleasure and avoid suffering, which is associated with self-love, or self-love, based on the most important of the instincts - the instinct of self-preservation. This is how everyone argues, including Rousseau, although he somewhat stands out from the general line of reasoning, recognizing, along with reasonable egoism, also altruism. But even he quite often refers to self-love: The source of our passions, the beginning and foundation of all others, the only passion that is born with a person and never leaves him while he is alive, is self-love; this passion is original, innate, preceding every other: all others are in a certain sense only its modifications ... Love for oneself is always suitable and always in accordance with the order of things; since everyone is entrusted first of all with his own self-preservation, then the first and most important of his concerns is - and should be - precisely this constant concern for self-preservation, and how could we take care of him if we did not see this as our main interest? .

So, each individual in all his actions proceeds from self-love. But, being enlightened by the light of reason, he begins to understand that if he thinks only of himself and achieves everything only for himself personally, he will face a huge number of difficulties, primarily because everyone wants the same thing - to satisfy their needs, means for which there is still very little. Therefore, people gradually come to the conclusion that it makes sense to limit oneself to some extent; this is done not at all out of love for others, but out of love for oneself; therefore, we are not talking about altruism, but about reasonable egoism, but such a feeling is the guarantor of a calm and normal life together. 18th century makes adjustments to these views. Firstly, they concern common sense: common sense pushes to comply with the requirements of reasonable egoism, because without taking into account the interests of other members of society, without compromises with them, it is impossible to build a normal daily life, it is impossible to ensure the smooth functioning of the economic system. An independent individual relying on himself, the owner, comes to this conclusion on his own precisely because he is endowed with common sense.

Another addition concerns the development of the principles of civil society (which will be discussed later). And the last concerns the rules of education. On this path, some disagreements arise among those who developed the theory of education, primarily between Helvetius and Rousseau. Democracy and humanism equally characterize their concepts of education: both are convinced that it is necessary to provide all people with equal opportunities for education, as a result of which everyone can become a virtuous and enlightened member of society. Asserting natural equality, Helvetius, however, begins to prove that all the abilities and gifts of people are absolutely the same by nature, and only education creates differences between them, and chance plays a huge role. Precisely for the reason that chance interferes with all plans, the results often turn out to be quite different from what a person originally intended. Our life, Helvetius is convinced, often depends on the most insignificant accidents, but since we do not know them, it seems to us that we owe all our properties only to nature, but this is not so.

Rousseau, unlike Helvetius, did not attach such importance to chance, he did not insist on absolute natural identity. On the contrary, in his opinion, people by nature have different inclinations. However, what comes out of a person is also largely determined by upbringing. Rousseau was the first to single out different age periods in a child's life; in each period, one particular educational influence is perceived most fruitfully. So, in the first period of life, one must develop physical inclinations, then feelings, then mental abilities, and finally moral concepts. Rousseau urged educators to listen to the voice of nature, not to force the nature of the child, to treat him as a full-fledged person. Thanks to the criticism of the previous scholastic methods of education, thanks to the installation on the laws of nature and the detailed study of the principles of "natural education" (as we see, not only religion is "natural" in Rousseau - education is also "natural") Rousseau was able to create a new direction of science - pedagogy and provided a huge impact on many thinkers who adhere to it (on L.N. Tolstoy, J.V. Goethe, I. Pestalozzi, R. Rolland).

When we consider the upbringing of a person from the point of view that was so important for the French Enlightenment, namely, rational egoism, one cannot fail to notice certain paradoxes that are found in almost everyone, but mainly in Helvetius. He seems to be moving in line with general ideas about selfishness and personal interest, but brings his thoughts to paradoxical conclusions. First, he interprets self-interest as material gain. Secondly, Helvetius reduces all the phenomena of human life, all its events to a personal interest understood in this way. Thus, he turns out to be the founder of utilitarianism. Love and friendship, the desire for power and the principles of the social contract, even morality - everything is reduced by Helvetius to personal interest. So, honesty we call the habit of everyone to do useful things for him.

When I, say, cry for a dead friend, in reality I cry not about him, but about myself, because without him I will have no one to talk to about myself, get help. Of course, one cannot agree with all the utilitarian conclusions of Helvetius, one cannot reduce all feelings of a person, all types of his activity to benefit or to the desire to gain benefit. The observance of moral precepts, for example, causes harm to the individual rather than brings benefits - morality has nothing to do with benefit. The relationship of people in the field of artistic creativity also cannot be described in terms of utilitarianism. Similar objections were heard against Helvetius already in his time, and not only from enemies, but also from friends. Thus, Diderot asked what profit Helvetius himself was pursuing when he created in 1758 the book “On the Mind” (where the concept of utilitarianism was first outlined): after all, it was immediately condemned to burning, and the author had to renounce it three times, and even after he feared that he would be forced (like La Mettrie) to emigrate from France. But Helvetius should have foreseen all this in advance, and yet he did what he did. Moreover, immediately after the tragedy, Helvetius began to write a new book, developing the ideas of the first. In this regard, Diderot remarks that one cannot reduce everything to physical pleasures and material gain, and that personally he is often ready to prefer the most severe attack of gout to the slightest contempt for himself.

And yet it is impossible not to admit that Helvetius was right on at least one issue - personal interest, and material interest, asserts itself in the sphere of material production, in the sphere of the economy. Common sense forces us to recognize here the interest of each of its participants, and the lack of common sense, the requirement to abandon oneself and sacrifice oneself supposedly for the interests of the whole, entails the strengthening of the totalitarian aspirations of the state, as well as chaos in the economy. The justification of common sense in this area turns into a defense of the interests of the individual as an owner, and this is precisely what was and is still being blamed on Helvetius. Meanwhile, the new way of managing is based precisely on such an independent subject, guided by his own common sense and responsible for his decisions - the subject of property and rights.

Over the past decades, we have become so accustomed to denying private property, so accustomed to justifying our actions with disinterestedness and enthusiasm, that we have almost lost our common sense. Nevertheless, private property and private interest are necessary attributes of an industrial civilization, the content of which is not limited to class interactions alone.

Of course, one should not idealize the market relations that characterize this civilization. But the same market, expanding the boundaries of supply and demand, contributing to an increase in social wealth, really creates the ground for the spiritual development of members of society, for the liberation of the individual from the grip of unfreedom.

In this regard, it should be noted that the task of rethinking those concepts that were previously assessed only as negative is long overdue. Thus, it is necessary to understand private property not only as the property of the exploiter, but also as the property of a private individual who freely disposes of it, freely decides how to act, and relies on his own sound judgment. At the same time, it is impossible not to take into account that the complex relationship between the owners of the means of production and the owners of their own labor force is currently being significantly transformed due to the fact that the increase in surplus value is increasingly taking place not due to the appropriation of a share of someone else's labor, but due to an increase in labor productivity. , development of computer facilities, technical inventions, discoveries, etc. The strengthening of democratic tendencies also has an important influence here.

The problem of private property today requires a special study; here we can only emphasize once again that, defending private interest, Helvetius defended the individual as an owner, as an equal participant in industrial production and a member of the "social contract, born and raised on the basis of democratic transformations. The question of the relationship between individual and public interests leads us to the question about rational selfishness and the social contract.

The principle of reasonable selfishness is the golden mean between altruism and selfishness

Even if you are by nature the broadest soul of a person, postpone your desire for self-sacrifice until better times (it is possible that these times will never come!). If you can't be selfish, at least act like a selfish person. What is selfishness? It is "a romance that lasts a lifetime", with the person who is most dear to you, that is, with yourself.

Self-love is the ideological content of the principle of reasonable egoism, and its applied expression is to shift as many various duties as possible onto the shoulders of a man, including those that used to be yours.

Using the principle of reasonable selfishness from the very first days of your acquaintance with a man, you will instill in him a sense of responsibility, which will be very useful if you decide to make him happy by agreeing to marry him. By not letting a man relax, you can free up more time for yourself, your existing or planned children, and, finally, your life partner! As a result, even with a long experience of living together, you will not be a “driven horse”, always irritated, tormented by petty everyday problems, you will smile more often and grumble less. And in the end, both of you will benefit from it. That is why this principle is called "reasonable egoism."

Give a man the opportunity to take care of you. Be a bit of an actress, feign helplessness and confusion in any difficult (and not very difficult either!) Situation. Women who look weak and helpless make a man feel strong. And always win in the eyes of men.

No matter what men say, each of them dreams in his heart of a romantic person, reminiscent of Turgenev's girls, even if at a given period of time he sleeps with a girl "without complexes." Do not believe that men like practical women, realists, standing firmly on their feet! The symbiosis of a food processor, a washing machine and a vacuum cleaner is needed only by a male consumer. But you don't need such a man!

By the way, the role of an impractical person, far from everyday life and the real world, is not only much more advantageous, but also brings very tangible benefits.

In relationships with the opposite sex, always be guided by the principle of reasonable selfishness.

Love yourself more than the man you love. The more you experience warm feelings for yourself, your beloved, the more likely your partner will love you with the same degree of intensity.

Do only what your soul lies in, what interests you and causes positive emotions.

Never do anything you don't actively want to do. If you do not want to go to the country to dig beds - do not go. By wasting a weekend to sow parsley and dill, you will decorate your table later, but not your life.

Don't visit people you don't like. Of course, you don’t say this to your gentleman, accept the invitation, but calmly go about your business.

If you have accumulated a full basket of dirty laundry, and you want to read a detective story or watch your favorite series - do not deny yourself anything. If your roommate grumbles that he does not have clean shirts, let him wash himself. Having decided on a life together, you did not sign obligations for the personal care of his person. He certainly does not perform even half of what is considered "man's duties"!

You can shirk unpleasant things in this way: never argue with a man, do not say that you are lazy or don’t feel like it, verbally agree that everything will be done, but do nothing at the same time. And then - a sweet, confused smile and: “I'm sorry, dear, I completely forgot! Oh, I'm sorry, please don't be angry!" Well, how can he not forgive! Maybe he'll curse to himself, but he won't show it. Even if he mentally calls you "bludgeon", "stupid". But you will make him play by his own rules.

Or another option: “play the fool”, blink your eyes, ask again a hundred times, pretend that you will certainly forget and confuse everything. As a result, your man will be forced to help you. A couple of such sessions, and he will get used to doing everything himself. It's okay, the crown will not fall off him!

Never forget that you have not only responsibilities, but also rights. Reclaim more rights for yourself and slowly get rid of responsibilities.

Always look for a performer who can do for you the maximum of what was previously part of your responsibilities.

The technical side of things, as well as the physical, dirty work, is not for you. If your favorite picture has fallen off the wall, do not rush to take up the hammer to hang it again. Any woman is able to drive a nail into the wall, but why should she do it ?! If there is a male being in your house, this is his prerogative. Let the fallen picture stand there, leaning against the wall, until the creature, proudly calling itself a "man", deigns to get a stepladder, a hammer and a nail. If the faucet is dripping, don't rush to call the control room to call a locksmith. If your life partner's hands are growing out of the wrong place to replace the gasket, then let him at least take care to personally call a locksmith. At the same time, and learn how to fix the problem. (By the way, there are no tricks in this, such an operation may well be mastered by a man even with three higher educations.)

Men have nothing to complain about. Any work is only for their benefit.. Labor, as you know, turned a monkey into a man. Work and a male representative can turn into a man.

Take care of your own good mood. Never raise your voice, shout, argue or fight with a man. Don't waste your emotions! Remember that negative emotions negatively affect a woman's appearance.

If you have to do something that disgusts you, do not rush. Pull until you find someone who will (or not) roll up their sleeves with pleasure. The winner is the one who has stronger nerves or who cares about the result. If enthusiasm is not shown by anyone, forget about this matter. There are so many things in the world that you don’t have to do at all!

Learn to say "no". The problem with many women is that they are too easy to say "yes" and do not know how to say "no". When refusing someone, justify the reason. If your opponent's motivation does not suit him, it's worse for him.

Do not puzzle over other people's problems that do not concern you. Do not climb into someone else's soul, into someone else's life, but do not let anyone into yours.

Learn to manipulate men and make them do what you want.

Never row while sitting in a boat with a man (of course, this should not be taken only literally). Figuratively speaking, be a navigator in life, but not a rower.

AND THE MOST IMPORTANT THING: DO NOT SPILL MEN BY TAKING THEIR FUNCTIONS ON YOURSELF!

Having mastered these principles, you will understand that you can enjoy life without disappointing others, without infringing on their interests, but at the same time without offending yourself.

When the theory of rational egoism begins to be touched upon in the dialogues of philosophers, the name of N. G. Chernyshevsky, a multifaceted and great writer, philosopher, historian, materialist, and critic, involuntarily pops up. Nikolai Gavrilovich absorbed all the best - a strong character, an irresistible zeal for freedom, a clear and rational mind. Chernyshevsky's theory of rational egoism is another step in the development of philosophy.

Definition

Reasonable egoism should be understood as a philosophical position that establishes for each individual the primacy of personal interests over the interests of other people and society as a whole.

The question arises: how does reasonable egoism differ from egoism in its direct understanding? Proponents of reasonable egoism argue that the egoist thinks only of himself. While it is unprofitable for rational egoism to neglect other personalities, it simply does not represent a selfish attitude towards everything, but only manifests itself as short-sightedness, and sometimes even as stupidity.

In other words, reasonable selfishness can be called the ability to live one's own interests or opinions, without contradicting the opinions of others.

A bit of history

Reasonable egoism begins to emerge in the ancient period, when Aristotle assigned him the role of one of the components of the problem of friendship.

Feuerbach L. received a more detailed study of this issue. In his opinion, the virtue of a person is based on a sense of self-satisfaction from the satisfaction of another person.

The theory of rational egoism was deeply studied by Chernyshevsky. It relied on the interpretation of the egoism of the individual as an expression of the usefulness of the person as a whole. Based on this, if corporate, private and universal interests collide, then the latter should prevail.

Chernyshevsky's views

The philosopher and writer began his journey with Hegel, telling everyone what belongs only to him. Adhering to the Hegelian philosophy and views, Chernyshevsky nevertheless rejects his conservatism. And having become acquainted with his writings in the original, he begins to reject his views and sees continuous shortcomings in Hegelian philosophy:

• The creator of reality for Hegel was the absolute spirit and
• Reason and idea were development.
• Hegel's conservatism and his commitment to the feudal-absolutist system of the country.

As a result, Chernyshevsky began to emphasize the duality of Hegel's theory and criticize him as a philosopher. Science continued to develop, and the Hegelian philosophy for the writer became outdated and lost its meaning.

From Hegel to Feuerbach

Not satisfied with Hegelian philosophy, Chernyshevsky turned to the works of L. Feuerbach, which subsequently made him call the philosopher his teacher.

In his work The Essence of Christianity, Feuerbach argues that nature and human thinking exist separately from each other, and the supreme being created by religion and human fantasy is a reflection of the individual's own essence. This theory greatly inspired Chernyshevsky, and he found in it what he was looking for.

The essence of the theory of rational egoism

The theory of rational egoism in the works of Chernyshevsky was directed against religion, theological morality and idealism. According to the writer, the individual loves only himself. And it is selfishness that motivates people to action.

Nikolai Gavrilovich in his works says that in the intentions of people there cannot be several different natures and the whole multitude of human desires to act comes from one nature, according to one law. The name of this law is rational egoism.

All human actions are based on the individual's thoughts about his personal benefit and good. For example, the sacrifice of a person's own life for the sake of love or friendship, for the sake of any interests, can be considered reasonable egoism. Even in such an action lies personal calculation and an outbreak of egoism.

What is the theory of rational egoism according to Chernyshevsky? In that the personal do not diverge from the public and do not contradict them, benefiting others. Only such principles accepted and tried to convey to others the writer.

The theory of reasonable egoism is briefly preached by Chernyshevsky as the theory of "new people".

Basic concept of the theory

The theory of reasonable selfishness evaluates the benefits of human relationships and the choice of the most profitable of them. From the point of view of theory, the manifestation of disinterestedness, mercy and charity is absolutely meaningless. Only those manifestations of these qualities that lead to PR, profit, etc. have meaning.

Reasonable selfishness is understood as the ability to find a golden mean between personal capabilities and the needs of others. At the same time, each individual proceeds solely from love for himself. But having a mind, a person understands that if he thinks only about himself, he will face a huge number of problems, wanting only to satisfy personal needs. As a result, individuals come to a personal limitation. But again, this is done not out of love for others, but out of love for oneself. Therefore, in this case, it is appropriate to speak of reasonable egoism.

The manifestation of the theory in the novel "What is to be done?"

Since the central idea of ​​Chernyshevsky's theory was life in the name of another person, it was precisely this that united the heroes of his novel What Is To Be Done?

The theory of rational egoism in the novel "What is to be done?" expressed in nothing other than the ethical expression of the need for mutual assistance and uniting people. This is what connects the characters of the novel. for them - serving the people and the success of the cause, which is the meaning of their lives.

The principles of the theory are also applicable to the personal lives of the characters. Chernyshevsky showed how the social face of the individual is fully manifested in love.

To an unenlightened person it may seem that the philistine egoism of the heroine of the novel Marya Alekseevna is very close to the egoism of the "new people". But its essence is only that it is aimed at the natural striving for goodness and happiness. The sole benefit of the individual must correspond to those identified with the interests of the working people.

Lonely happiness does not exist. The happiness of one individual depends on the happiness of all and the general well-being of society.

Chernyshevsky, as a philosopher, never defended egoism in its direct meaning. Reasonable egoism of the heroes of the novel identifies his own benefit with the benefit of other people. For example, having freed Vera from domestic oppression, saving her from the need to marry not for love, and making sure that she loves Kirsanov, Lopukhov goes into the shadows. This is one example of the manifestation of reasonable egoism in Chernyshevsky's novel.

The theory of rational egoism is the philosophical basis of the novel, where there is no place for selfishness, selfishness and individualism. The center of the novel is a person, his rights, his benefits. With this, the writer called for abandoning destructive hoarding in order to achieve true human happiness, no matter how unfavorable conditions life burdened him.

Despite the fact that the novel was written in the 19th century, its basics are applicable in the modern world.