Self-love, Egoism and the Selfish Hypothesis: Key Debates from Eighteenth-Century British Moral Philosophy

Christian Maurer

Published by Edinburgh University Press 2019

Self-love, Egoism and the Selfish Hypothesis

Key Debates from Eighteenth-Century British Moral Philosophy

Christian Maurer

https://doi.org/10.1515/9781474413381

Overview
Contents

About this book

Analyses of one of the central debates at the dawn of the Enlightenment: are people motivated only by self-interest?

The dawn of the Enlightenment saw heated debates on self-love. Do people only act out of self-interest? Or is there a less pessimistic explanation for human behaviour? Maurer delves into the contributions to these debates from both famous and lesser known authors, including Lord Shaftesbury, Bernard Mandeville, Francis Hutcheson, Joseph Butler, Archibald Campbell, David Hume and Adam Smith, and puts them in their philosophical, theological and economic context.

Maurer identifies five distinct conceptions of self-love and looks at their role within theories of human psychology and morality while drawing attention to the heuristic limits of our contemporary notion of egoism. He compares the central arguments and the different strategies intended to morally rehabilitate human nature and self-love before and during the Enlightenment.

Key Features

Thoroughly analyses and compares various positions in the debates on self-love in 18th-century British moral philosophy
Places the central arguments on self-love in their philosophical and theological context
Provides the first analysis of Archibald Campbell’s account of self-love in his moral philosophy

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Topics

Frontmatter Publicly Available Download PDF	i
Contents Publicly Available Download PDF	iii
List of Tables Publicly Available Download PDF	iv
Acknowledgements Publicly Available Download PDF	v
Abbreviations Publicly Available Download PDF	viii
1. Introduction Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	1
2. Shaftesbury on the Self-affections and the Selfi sh Hypothesis Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	32
3. Mandeville: Self-love, Self-liking and Augustinian Themes Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	58
4. Hutcheson on Self-love, Benevolence and Self-cultivation Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	86
5. Butler on Self-love as Respect of Self Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	117
6. Campbell on True Self-love and Virtue Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	141
7. Hume, Smith and Beyond Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	171
8. Conclusion Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	206
Bibliography Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	213
Index Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	225

(Deutsch)

Language: English
Publisher: Edinburgh University Press
Audience: College/higher education;
Pages
- Main content: 240
Illustrations
- Other: 2 B/W tables
Keywords: Philosophy

eBook

Published: April 5, 2022
ISBN: 9781474413381