# Contested concept: self-interest

_**What you are reading**: one contested-concept page in Deliberus's deliberation graph. Deliberus maps human reasoning — including claims that are contested, mistaken, or extreme — so that disagreement can be examined precisely. A claim's presence here is not an endorsement: the graph records that someone argued it, how it connects to other reasoning, and how far scrutiny has gotten. The metadata on this page describes the state of that scrutiny, not the truth of the claim._

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- **Contestedness**: criterion
- **Diagnosis**: The disagreement masks a conflict between 'psychological egoism' (all acts are self-interested by definition) and 'enlightened self-interest' (rational choices based on long-term objective benefits).
- **Canonical**: `/concept/self-interest` (data: `/concept/self-interest.json`)

## Senses in use
- **Self-interest is what is best for an individual. But in a proper society, people will have an interest in making everyone's self-interest be aligned with what's best for everyone.** — used in 21 claim(s)

## Claims using this term
- [The existence of harmful behaviors like war and crime does not necessarily prove that individuals are acting in accordance with their true …](/claim/claim_045e36c3b38f.md) _(sense: Self-interest is what is best for an individual. But in a proper society, people will have an interest in making everyone's self-interest be aligned with what's best for everyone.)_
- [Ignorance is a primary reason why individuals fail to act in accordance with their true long-term interests.](/claim/claim_09a711d6f5d4.md) _(sense: Self-interest is what is best for an individual. But in a proper society, people will have an interest in making everyone's self-interest be aligned with what's best for everyone.)_
- [In this source, "self-interest" is best read as Self-interest is what is best for an individual. But in a proper society, people will have …](/claim/claim_0bf760795b5c.md) _(sense: Self-interest is what is best for an individual. But in a proper society, people will have an interest in making everyone's self-interest be aligned with what's best for everyone.)_
- [A society based purely on individual self-interest without regard for others (World A) would not be sustainable for a long period.](/claim/claim_0f2a4779253f.md) _(sense: Self-interest is what is best for an individual. But in a proper society, people will have an interest in making everyone's self-interest be aligned with what's best for everyone.)_
- [To successfully earn money within a market economy, an individual must satisfy the needs or desires of other people.](/claim/claim_18af992ce976.md) _(sense: Self-interest is what is best for an individual. But in a proper society, people will have an interest in making everyone's self-interest be aligned with what's best for everyone.)_
- [An individual's pursuit of their own self-interest can motivate them to perform actions that benefit the public good.](/claim/claim_2dc094bd64dc.md) _(sense: Self-interest is what is best for an individual. But in a proper society, people will have an interest in making everyone's self-interest be aligned with what's best for everyone.)_
- [Self-interested individuals (egoists) would intentionally work to create a society where helping others is viewed as a natural part of one'…](/claim/claim_3a09c09117c8.md) _(sense: Self-interest is what is best for an individual. But in a proper society, people will have an interest in making everyone's self-interest be aligned with what's best for everyone.)_
- [When individuals act in ways that ignore or harm the interests of others, it does not necessarily mean they are acting in their own true lo…](/claim/claim_3b76009abc9e.md) _(sense: Self-interest is what is best for an individual. But in a proper society, people will have an interest in making everyone's self-interest be aligned with what's best for everyone.)_
- [There exist various theoretical arguments suggesting that an individual's pursuit of their own self-interest can result in actions that ben…](/claim/claim_5be6fa350cea.md) _(sense: Self-interest is what is best for an individual. But in a proper society, people will have an interest in making everyone's self-interest be aligned with what's best for everyone.)_
- [The existence of anti-social acts like war, crime, and monopolies does not prove that the actors are successfully pursuing their own true s…](/claim/claim_5f703bc84bcc.md) _(sense: Self-interest is what is best for an individual. But in a proper society, people will have an interest in making everyone's self-interest be aligned with what's best for everyone.)_
- [Individuals in a purely self-interested society (World A) have a personal interest in transforming that society into one where welfare is s…](/claim/claim_6c820041fb95.md) _(sense: Self-interest is what is best for an individual. But in a proper society, people will have an interest in making everyone's self-interest be aligned with what's best for everyone.)_
- [In a society where individuals strive to maximize their own well-being, their personal self-interest becomes closely linked to an interest …](/claim/claim_8e5e242fbb5a.md) _(sense: Self-interest is what is best for an individual. But in a proper society, people will have an interest in making everyone's self-interest be aligned with what's best for everyone.)_
- [In a hypothetical 'World A', individuals value only their own happiness and will perform beneficial acts for others only if those acts dire…](/claim/claim_9999c35108e9.md) _(sense: Self-interest is what is best for an individual. But in a proper society, people will have an interest in making everyone's self-interest be aligned with what's best for everyone.)_
- [In a hypothetical society ('World A') where individuals value only their own happiness and not that of others, they would only perform altr…](/claim/claim_b8674fc944fb.md) _(sense: Self-interest is what is best for an individual. But in a proper society, people will have an interest in making everyone's self-interest be aligned with what's best for everyone.)_
- [Practicing corporal punishment on children was not in the parents' own best interest, despite their belief that it might be.](/claim/claim_c870abcc2112.md) _(sense: Self-interest is what is best for an individual. But in a proper society, people will have an interest in making everyone's self-interest be aligned with what's best for everyone.)_
- [In a society where individuals strive to maximize their own well-being, their self-interest becomes closely linked to the act of taking car…](/claim/claim_c9a8a538a005.md) _(sense: Self-interest is what is best for an individual. But in a proper society, people will have an interest in making everyone's self-interest be aligned with what's best for everyone.)_
- [Rational egoists would work to create a society where helping others is viewed as a natural and essential part of an individual's self-inte…](/claim/claim_d5e2729e65d5.md) _(sense: Self-interest is what is best for an individual. But in a proper society, people will have an interest in making everyone's self-interest be aligned with what's best for everyone.)_
- [Every individual in the hypothetical egoistic 'World A' has a rational self-interest in transforming their society to be more like the hypo…](/claim/claim_df4041d9a003.md) _(sense: Self-interest is what is best for an individual. But in a proper society, people will have an interest in making everyone's self-interest be aligned with what's best for everyone.)_
- [In a society where individuals are motivated to maximize their own well-being, their personal self-interest becomes closely linked to the a…](/claim/claim_e57fe7b9a947.md) _(sense: Self-interest is what is best for an individual. But in a proper society, people will have an interest in making everyone's self-interest be aligned with what's best for everyone.)_
- [Lack of knowledge and the fear of losing social status or power prevent individuals from acting in their own true best interests.](/claim/claim_f2a2a787dbcb.md) _(sense: Self-interest is what is best for an individual. But in a proper society, people will have an interest in making everyone's self-interest be aligned with what's best for everyone.)_
- [An individual's pursuit of their own self-interest can motivate them to perform actions that serve the public good.](/claim/claim_fce71ebd29fd.md) _(sense: Self-interest is what is best for an individual. But in a proper society, people will have an interest in making everyone's self-interest be aligned with what's best for everyone.)_