Friendship and hedonism are both major components of Epicureanism. I attempt to relieve the tension that seems to follow from endorsing both of these. I argue that Epicurean friendships require valuing a friend’s well-being in the same way as one’s own and that embarking on such friendships is what David Schmidtz terms a maieutic end – one that is achieved by taking on a new set of ends. This conception fits with other-regarding concern that is espoused throughout the Epicurean texts discussing friendship and, as I argue, remains consistent with other psychological and ethical commitments of Epicureanism.

Thesis. / Includes bibliography.

Honors Project--Smith College, Northampton, Mass., 2009. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 40-42).

In this dissertation, I argue that Aristotle's account of friendship is egoistic. Focusing on the Nicomachean Ethics, I begin with VIII.2. Here Aristotle claims that in all friendships, friends love only because of the lovable (φιλητóv), which divides into the useful, pleasant, and good. I argue that "because of (διὰ)" refers to at least the final cause and that "the lovable" refers to what appears to contribute one's own happiness (εuδαιμoνία); therefore Aristotle claims that in all friendships, friends love only for the sake of their own happiness. This result may seem incompatible with some types of concern Aristotle principally attributes to his normative paradigm of complete friendship: wishing goods for the sake of the other and loving the other for himself. One might argue that these types of concern are altruistic, and so it cannot be the case that in all friendships, friends love only for the sake of their own happiness. I argue that these types of concern ultimately hinge on one's own happiness. The object is the lovable (what appears to contribute to one's own happiness), specifically the good instantiated by the other's virtue; further, what a virtuous person takes as valuable about another's virtue is how it facilitates her own virtuous activity, that is, her own happiness. From here I turn to Aristotle's notion of 'another self'. One popular interpretation of other selfhood defies the altruism/egoism divide. Here the essential feature of other selfhood is virtue, which allows for no prioritization among virtuous people; there is no prioritization of the other over oneself (as in altruism) nor of oneself over the other (as in egoism), since the relevant parties are equal in moral standing (they are virtuous). Assessing the instances of 'another self' in the Nicomachean Ethics VIII.12, IX.4, and IX.9, I argue for an egoistic interpretation of other selfhood; the essential feature of other selfhood is involvement in one's own actualization. That is, what makes other selves valuable is how they facilitate one's own virtuous activity, one's own happiness. Finally, I address the doctrine of self-love in the Nicomachean Ethics IX.8. Again, some interpreters derive non-prioritization from the text; Aristotle claims that all virtuous people identify with the understanding (voũç), so, the non-prioritization interpretation goes, there can be no prioritization among virtuous agents, as they are identical in the relevant way. I argue for an egoistic interpretation of IX.8; Aristotle endorses praiseworthy self-love, which involves maximizing the superlatively valuable fine (καλòν) for oneself over others. Moreover, such self-prioritization occurs precisely by gratifying the understanding, that which was supposed to ground non-prioritization.

Business leaders are increasingly responsible for the societal and environmental impacts of their actions. Yet conceptual views on responsible leadership differ in their definitions and theoretical foundations. This study attempts to reconcile these diverse views and uncover the phenomenon from a business leader's point of view. Based on rational egoism theory, this article proposes a formal mathematical model of responsible leadership that considers different types of incentives for stakeholder engagement. The analyses reveal that monetary and instrumental incentives are neither sufficient nor necessary for business leaders to consider societal and environmental stakeholder needs. Non-monetary and non-instrumental incentives, such as leaders' values and authenticity, as well as their planning horizons, counterbalance pure monetary and instrumental orientations. The model in this article complements the growing body of research on responsible leadership by reconciling its various conceptual views and providing a foundation for future theory development and testing.

No description available.

The purpose of the present study was to provide evidence of discriminant validity for the aberrant self-promotion construct proposed by Gustafson and Ritzer (1994a). The study attempted to differentiate the aberrant self-promotion construct from the Machiavellianism construct proposed by Christie (1970a). The aberrant self-promoter (ASP) has been conceptualized as exhibiting high self-esteem, low social desirability, and a high degree of antisocial behavior. In contrast, the Machiavellian has been conceptualized as an individual who is coldly rational in determining his or her actions and who is adept at engaging in manipulation to achieve a desired end. It was proposed in the present study that although both the ASP and the Machiavellian may be characterized by high narcissism, high self-esteem, and low social desirability, the Machiavellian does not exhibit the antisocial behavior that is a key component of the ASP pattern. The proposed differentiation, based on 28 undergraduate ASPs and 19 undergraduate Machiavellians, involved a structured interview and a prisoner's dilemma game. The results from the interview showed that the ASPs scored significantly higher on the total score, as well as on the subscore for a narcissism-related factor and on the subscore for an antisocial behavior factor. The prisoner's dilemma results, however, revealed no significant differences between the ASPs and Machs. Discussion focused on the insufficient salience of the prisoner's dilemma experimental situation and on the research and organizational implications of the ASP/Machiavellian differentiation supported by the interview. / Master of Science

Vilken bör vara den centrala sociala normen? Reciprocitet - ömsesidiga relationer till bådas fördel - jämförs med två andra alternativ: altruism och integritet. Altruism - från självuppoffring i nya testamentet och i mycken ideologi till agentneutralitet i modern filosofi - är den etik som oftast förespråkas. Integritetsetik drivs av mer fåtaliga förespråkare som en övergripande filosofi, men har ett omfattande stöd vad gäller individuella liberala rättigheter. Författaren penetrerar argumenten för och mot dessa tre alternativ. • Backas en etik upp med incitament blir den inte altruistisk - men kan en etik få tillräcklig effekt utan incitament?• Vore det bättre att förespråka en mindre ambitiös, men mer realistisk moral?• Finns det något tankemässigt fel i etisk egoism?• Altruistisk etik kanske inte skall ses som riktlinjer för eget handlande, utan försök att få andra att vara oegennyttiga och själv bli förmånstagare?• Kan en irrationell etik paradoxalt nog prestera rationella resultat?Den empiriska delen av denna avhandling undersöker sambandet mellan etiska åsikter och faktiskt beteende. Med ekonomiska spel som hjälpmedel penetreras korrelationen mellan försökspersonernas etiska uppfattningar och deras agerande i tre olika spel; ultimatumspel, diktatorspel och ultimatumspel med förhandling. Etiska ställningstaganden i skilda frågor visar sig vara korrelerade enligt den modell som kopplar ihop olika specifika åsikter till mönster. Försökspersoner klassas först i de tre etiska grupperna och sedan undersöks om det finns signifikanta skillnader i beteendet mellan grupperna. Det visar sig vara fallet, så ett första konstaterande är att etik inte endast är retorik. Den reciproka gruppen ställer signifikant högre krav för att delta i ett samarbete. När ett spelbeslut är en fråga om generositet finns signifikanta positiva samband med altruistiska värderingar. / <p>Diss. (sammanfattning) Stockholm : Handelshögskolan, 2002</p>

The purpose of the essay is to draw attention to my approach in relation to a boy I choose to call Emil, and how I can increase my understanding of his behavior. I explore conceivable reasons for why he breaks down so often, especially when other children are given attention. Is he simply unusually egoistic, and to a large degree only able to see to his own interests, or am I overlooking the real reasons for his actions. In order to explain the reasons for Emil’s apparent frustration in sensitive situations, I explore the significance of attachment theory. I argue about possible effects of Emil’s parents’ way of describing and guiding him, as well as how I, and my colleagues, risk fulfilling and amplifying negative expectations. As the prime reason for his repeated sense of unhappiness seems linked to a lack of empathy, I explore different ways of understanding this, as well as how I might contribute to fostering compassion. As members of a team, we strive to act in a proper way in relation to Emil. I discuss in what way our consensus can serve the good purpose, as well as how our perceived "truths" risk strengthening dominance. As stressful situations contribute to feelings of irritation regarding Emil’s apparent jealousy, I try to explain how getting closer to one’s own darkness can contribute to an increased sense of respect and understanding. Finally, I examine current views on leadership, where the previous approach focusing largely on the mediation of knowledge has given way to new ideas that stress the importance of creating security as a basis for all learning. I discuss the high demands that are placed on the pedagogue’s sense of awareness and mediating in the children’s acquisition of knowledge, as well as the importance of creating trusting relations.

Submitted in partial fulfillment in compliance with the requirements for the Masters Degree in Technology: Fine Art, Department of Fine Art and Jewelery Design, Durban University of Technology. Durban. South Africa, 2014. / This dissertation introduces and explores the link between the phenomenon of the celebrity artist and autobiographical narratives. It investigates the possibility that artists plan, strategize and embellish or create stories that could gain enough attention from the general public to achieve celebrity status. This enquiry will establish various contexts, that of different artists, the audience, the celebrity artist and my own, locating the research and findings within a historical and contemporary discourse. The research presents several concepts and factors that will contribute to the understanding and contextualization of the hypothesis, as well as possibly substantiate it. Concepts such as celebrity, fame, narcissism, the ego and exhibitionism form the basis of the enquiry while theories based on narrative, autobiography and memory rehearsal provide credible support and background. The nature of this dissertation requires a broad investigation including contemporary social sciences, philosophy and psychology, media studies and history of art. In order to determine whether the aforementioned concepts and theories are employed by certain individuals to gain celebrity status, three celebrity artists are introduced through their biographies, rises to fame and their popularity and relationships with the general public. The artists, Andy Warhol, Jean-Michel Basquiat and Tracey Emin are introduced chronologically. All three artists have established public identities and in the attempt to substantiate whether these identities are constructed and pre-mediated the final analysis (in form of a causal analysis) presents fluctuating results with several possible causes. As part of this enquiry I introduce my creative output through discussing my autobiography, themes (of my work), mediums (I choose to use), exhibition and the resonance found with the selected artists. In light of the discussions based on the backgrounds, public identities and resonance I have found with each artist I determine whether I embellish my stories to gain fame. The research is conducted through qualitative research methodologies and presented in a consequential order. The methodological approach and process is best described through the term Bricolage, which refers to the use of multiple methodologies in its approach to research, in other words, a hybrid of praxis (Barrett & Bolt ed., 2010). The process of this enquiry includes theoretical research, historical research; studio based and –led research, as well as a causal analysis. As part of the research, many factors have been considered and discussed, as an investigation into autobiography; the research will aid me in progressing as an artist as well as contribute to the greater knowledge of the autobiographical field. Furthermore, introducing and exploring the link between autobiographical narratives and the artist, as celebrity is a discourse that can be developed and further expanded on. Through this research I have attempted to establish a link between high art and popular culture, and the artist and the audience. The findings represent a process of attempting to understand a complex set of possible causes with one ultimate effect and the influence it has on an individual and the general population. Many artists want to be famous and would go through the motions to become a celebrity. It does, however, fully depend on the individual and no ultimate formula can be presented. / M