PHI 1101 Lecture Notes - Egotism, Human Nature, Glaucon

• School: University of Ottawa
• Department: Philosophy
• Course: PHI 1101
• Professor: Sonia Sikka

Document Summary

Key points: psychological egosim humans are always and only motivated by self-interest, ethical egoism have no obligation to do anything except what is in their own. [descriptive thesis] interests [normative thesis: through his story of gyges" ring, glaucon contradicts the idea that laws equal justice. He argues that if a person could get away with injustice, he would behave unjustly: justice stems from human weakness and vulnerability. Since we can all suffer from each other"s injustices, we make a social contract agreeing to be just to one another. We only suffer under the burden of justice because we know we would suffer worse without it.