egoism

Meanings

1. 1
   noun

   the practice of giving one's own interests and welfare priority over those of others

   His refusal to help anyone unless he benefited revealed a narrow egoism.

2. 2
   noun

   the ethical theory that self-interest is the basis or proper goal of moral action

   The seminar compared ethical egoism with theories based on duty and altruism.

Borrowed from French egoisme, from New Latin egoismus, ultimately from Latin ego ("I") + -ism. The word developed both an everyday sense of self-centered concern and a technical philosophical sense in which self-interest grounds moral choice.

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