About the lecture

In this module, we introduce ethical egoism: a normative theory which claims that human action ought to be motivated by the pursuit of self-interest. We focus in particular on; (i) the nature of self-interest as a motivation for moral action (ii) the distinction between egoism and altruism (iii) the distinction between descriptive egoism and ethical egoism.

About the lecturer

Saul Newman is Professor of Political Theory at Goldsmiths, University of London. His research interests include sovereignty, political theology, democracy and post-secularism, autonomy and freedom, human rights and statelessness. He has written widely on the nineteenth century German thinker Max Stirner, and published the first ever edited collection on Stirner’s thought in the English language. His most recent publications include Political Theology: A Critical Introduction (2018) and Postanarchism 2015