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In Defence of Selfishness: Why the Code of Self-Sacrifice is Unjust and Destructive by Peter Schwartz (Hardcover, 2015)

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From childhood, we're taught one central, non-controversial idea about morality: self-sacrifice is a virtue. It is universally accepted that serving the needs of others, rather than our own, is the essence of morality. To be ethical-it is believed-is to be altruistic. Questioning this belief is regarded as tantamount to questioning the self-evident. Here, Peter Schwartz questions it. In Defense of Selfishness refutes widespread misconceptions about the meaning of selfishness and of altruism. Basing his arguments on Ayn Rand's ethics of rational self-interest, Schwartz demonstrates that genuine selfishness is not exemplified by the brutal plundering of an Attila the Hun or the conniving duplicity of a Bernard Madoff. To the contrary, such people are acting against their actual, long-range interests. The truly selfish individual is committed to moral principles and lives an honest, productive, self-respecting life. He does not feed parasitically off other people. Instead, he renounces the unearned, and deals with others-in both the material and spiritual realms-by offering value for value, to mutual benefit. The selfish individual, Schwartz maintains, lives by reason, not force. He lives by production and trade, not by theft and fraud. He disavows the mindlessness of the do-whatever-you-feel-like emotionalist, and upholds rationality as his primary virtue. He takes pride in his achievements, and does not sacrifice himself to others-nor does he sacrifice others to himself. According to the code of altruism, however, you must embrace self-sacrifice. You must subordinate yourself to others. Altruism calls, not for cooperation and benevolence, but for servitude. It demands that you surrender your interests to the needs of others, that you regard serving others as the moral justification of your existence, that you be willing to suffer so that a non-you might benefit. To this, Schwartz asks simply: Why? Why should the fact that you have achieved any success make you indebted to those who haven't? Why does the fact that someone needs your money create a moral entitlement to it, while the fact that you've earned it, doesn't? Using vivid, real-life examples, In Defense of Selfishness illustrates the iniquity of requiring one man to serve the needs of another. This provocative book challenges readers to re-examine the standard by which they decide what is morally right or wrong.

Product Identifiers

Publisher
Palgrave Macmillan
ISBN-13
9781137280169
eBay Product ID (ePID)
212573527

Product Key Features

Subject Area
Political Science
Author
Peter Schwartz
Publication Name
In Defence of Selfishness: Why the Code of Self-Sacrifice Is Unjust and Destructive
Format
Hardcover
Language
English
Subject
Economics, Government
Publication Year
2015
Type
Textbook
Number of Pages
256 Pages

Dimensions

Item Height
239mm
Item Width
162mm
Item Weight
432g

Additional Product Features

Title_Author
Peter Schwartz
Country/Region of Manufacture
United Kingdom

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In Defence of Selfishness: Why the Code of Self-Sacrifice is Unjust and Destructive by Peter Schwartz (Hardcover, 2015)

About this product

Product Information

Product Identifiers

Product Key Features

Dimensions

Additional Product Features

Best Selling in Adult Learning & University

Australian Guidebook for Structural Engineers by Lonnie Pack (Paperback, 2019)

Eduqas GCSE (9-1) Religious Studies Route B: Catholic Christianity and Judaism by Deirdre Cleary, Andrew Barron, Joy White, Patrick Harrison (Paperback, 2017)

The Ethnic Cleansing of Palestine by Ilan Pappe (Paperback, 2007)

Save on Adult Learning & University

The Australian Native Bee Hive Book: Keeping Stingless Sugarbag OATH Tim Heard

Weed Forager's Handbook: A Guide to Edible and Medicinal Weeds in Australia by A

Netter Atlas of Human Anatomy: Classic Regional Approach

The Indoctrinated Brain: How to Successfully Fend Off the Global Attack on Your

George Hrabovsky Leonard Susskind Classical Mechanics (Paperback)

Havard's Nursing Guide to Drugs

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