Business Ethics Cpa

“By purusing his own interest he frequently promotes that of society more efficiently than when he really intends to(p477) ”. Humans are selfish by nature it's only natural to do what best fit their needs. when doing so it helps promote society even if said person is unconsciously benefiting the society they are still benefiting the world's growth.

I've always done my best to be cognizant of not only my own well-being, but of the well-being of people in my life, the quality of my work and within decisions like voting. I've always had the motto that "If it's not hurting anyone in the process, including yourself" then it's probably okay. In class we spoke about "Dual Life Mentality". I feel that I resonate with this belief system, entirely. I don't personally view anyone else's life to be more or less, everything is equal. I believe that everyone should be treated with respect and dignity. Whatever I do, I try frame my thought process and decisions in a way that I treat people and materials with as much care and thoughtfulness as I would hope to receive in return. Since becoming a mother, I also find myself making my decisions and actions in such a way to create the same morals and ethics for my child as he gets older. So he is able to understand the power of compassion, respect and

Most people want things to be better for themselves, not as much as others. For instance, a person in my AP Chemistry class asked for answers to the test. Instead of helping them out, i told them that i didn't know the answers because i didn't want them doing better than me. I was so close to being in the Top 10% of my class! I couldn't ruin that for me. I didn't feel morally obligated to give them the answers, and I think a lot of people do little things like that to help themselves out in the long run. To be honest, It's every man for

any action taken for the benefit of others is good, and any action taken for one’s own benefit

As I get older, I am understanding the value and the importance of tending to your needs first, as long as it is rational. In order to support another to the best of my ability and in my full capacity, I have to also take care of myself. Even when selfishness is denounced publicly, many are still selfish in their private everyday actions that do not benefit others. For example, in the article “The Ethics of Benign Selfishness” by Tibor R. Machan, he states that we are “normally, routinely and benignly selfish” (12). When we awake in the morning we proceed to groom and take care of our needs before we attend to the needs of others (Machan 12).

Should an individual act for his own benefit? Or should he act for the sake of others? In ethics it is assumed that right actions demand an individual to act for the sake of others, this concept is known as altruism. However this view is challenged by the concept of egoism: the idea of putting our own interests to benefit ourselves before

In fact, if humanity is based on how others work together, or on how others feel about each other, or on what others do for each other, then when can I simply focus on myself? If I choose to make myself my single most important priority in our present society, I will be deemed selfish, and uncaring, and be seen in a negative light. This “negative” description accurately defines me, a hard working and goal-oriented person, so why am I automatically the “bad guy” for wanting to focus on myself over all other people?

Each of us subconsciously tries to do what is best for ourselves. We want to be able to survive in the world and before we can even think about doing things for other people, we have to make sure that we are taken care of. If this city didn’t have money,

Egoism works against the idea that it is possible for humans to perform truly altruistic acts and that instead, even seemingly unselfish deeds stem from a selfish desire. It is true that satisfaction can be found in selfless actions; however, English philosopher Joseph Butler presents the idea that there is a spectrum of self-interest where both egoism and altruism exist and that benevolence does not conflict with self-love. Although egoism considers all desires to be selfish, this is not necessarily true as many desires stem from a want to help others. Butler’s argument is that there is desire present in altruistic acts, but the desire is not due to self-interests, rather, it is a genuine desire to do something good. Therefore, a person can feel satisfaction from doing a good deed, but that does not make the action egoistic since the original intention was still to only ensure the well-being of someone else. This means that humans are not wired to only consider their own self-interest, but that also will consider the interest of others, and will perform acts to do so. An example of this is love, where it is argued that love is a need for humans and thus, a selfish desire. However, since there is no actual benefit to survival that a human could receive from loving another, it should be considered altruistic because now the well-being of another person is being prioritized over their own.

Some people put others before themselves, or other people put themselves before others. Each way has their own reason on what they prefer. People should be more concerned about themselves than others because it’s your life so you need to be more aware and care more about yourself, and it could risk your life.

Self-interest plays a motivator role in morality field that makes people can consider themselves without destroying the ability of others to meet their own wants. Starting with some key terms that Smiths mentions in his books: selfishness means someone who only knows to satisfy himself without consider others’ feelings and it might deprives others’ happiness (Black 2006, p.8). Comparing to selfishness, the term ‘self-love’ means ‘pure ego’ (Fitzgibbons 1995, p.137), while the term ‘self-interest’ is an updated version of self-love, because it contains virtue and leads to self-love into a moral level (Fitzgibbons 1995,

The moral framework I tend to personally abide by is act utilitarianism. Utilitarianism is the ethical concept that the actions that lead to the most pleasure are moral and good, whereas those that lead to pain are an immoral evil (Boss 23). When making decisions, I contemplate the advantages and disadvantages of each option presented before acting upon it. In addition, I consider those who would possibly be affected by my decision both positively and negatively. Like utilitarianism, I choose the option with the least amount of negative consequences. I am typically inclined to follow a selfless framework, however, occasionally I must put myself before others depending on the situation. For example, school is always top priority over my social life. When I choose my social life over school the consequences are profound. Usually this increases my work load and then leads to painful amounts of stress.

Second, I think that there are interesting objections to the commitment to such an obligation. I do not think it wise to dismiss such views out of hand. Ultimately, I will dismiss such views as a whole, but will allow their arguments to point my views and moral intuitions in better directions. I will now consider two such objections.

Adam Smith has described the character of self-interest in areas where only the feeling of satisfaction may be the interest itself. “However selfish man is supposed to be, there are evidently some principles in his nature, which interest him in the welfare of others, and make their happiness necessary to him, even though he derives nothing from it except the pleasure of seeing it.” (Smith Moral ex. 1). This expresses that self-interest may be found within the benefit of others practically, while internally for us. Man always looks for his own benefit in every action he may take. However, there are several times when relationships or connections we hold require assistance in some way. Providing help to these connections benefits man just as much as it would in a materialistic manner; the

You walk into a store and see a shirt that you want is on sale for only $20. A few feet away, is a collection box for a local charity, pleading for cash donations. Even though you see the box, you still continue with buying the shirt that is on sale. This is an example of an everyday decision that is made in regard to self-interest; often without even realizing it. Self-interest is generally defined as, “the concern for one’s own advantage or well-being,” and ultimately acting upon our “own interests.” In this case, the shirt that you just bought brings you some level of satisfaction, but if you were to donate that $20 to a local charity, it would be in the benefit of someone else who may be struggling to purchase basic necessities, or put food on the table for their family. It is not uncommon for humans to act in their own self-interest. Economist Adam Smith argues that “every man is, no doubt, by nature, first and principally recommended to his own care.” In essence, humans are naturally self-interested, as we are more inclined to put our desires before the needs and wants of others. That being said, self-interest can be viewed as the primary underlying motivator for economic activities, levels of competition in the marketplace, and serves as an influential factor in politics. While it may be beneficial in certain realms, in others, it can be detrimental to the self, and the people whom that decision effects.