It is a common mistake to think that a douche and an egoist is the same thing. The idea that someone all about self nurturing and pursing happiness as their reason for living is the same thing as throat cutters. Or the same as the person that would slap the soup out of someones hand in a soup kitchen line. This is an incorrect and a myth. Or based on people whom themselves misunderstand egoism if they claim to be one. Egoism is not the absence of benevolence, but, instead includes benevolence by virtue of the virtue of justice.
Ethical or Rational Egoism means that you live life to pursue your own happiness. It means that you desire to live a life that is in your long-term life long rational self-interest or happiness. Rational and peaceful; reason based happiness. There is nothing in egoism that tells you to treat other people like dirt. Far from it Ethical egoism has within it a built in love for good people. Other people are other minds and just as capable as being good people as you are. Benevolence is a corollary of justice and for an Ethical Egoist justice is one of the main virtues.
The virtues at the core of Ethical Egoism/Rational Egoism are as follows; rationality, integrity, honesty, productiveness; independence, pride and justice. However, each individual Egoist can find other virtues to incorporate as well; or as they could also be called moral amplifiers. The main source of Ethical Egoism or Rational Egoism's virtues is Ayn Rand's Objectivism. However, as Egoism is not a dogma Egoists can get their virtues from all kinds of places as long as they are rational in nature and do not go against reality. Benevolence is part of justice; good will towards each other and kindness is a part of treating others justly.
People whom take on the label of Egoist and then treat others like shit are being unjust. They are forgetting that benevolence is justice towards good people. Thus they are breaking their own core virtue structure of their philosophy for living on Earth. They are being just plain a bad person and they should be called out for being so. By their fellow Ethical Egoists as much as by those whom misplace the blame for their badness on being an Egoist. Egoists that understand and do live by their philosophy need to be outspoken in pointing out the hypocrisy of said individuals.
Marry Christmas to all of my readers and listeners of my recent podcasts. I hope that all of you have a wonderful Holiday Season.
