Sometimes referred to as egoism, the notion that the best life is one in which I achieve my goals (from the Latin ego for I). It is a concept with a long philosophical history that is mentioned frequently in several of the Platonic dialogues mentioned in the previous chapter. Although it isn't always done in the dialogues, it is crucial to distinguish between the argument that values are inherently subjective (the subject of the preceding chapter) and the assertion that something is valuable to me because I want it (the topic of this chapter). It is sometimes difficult to understand and remember this distinction.
Though they are frequently associated, subjectivism and egoism are actually two quite distinct philosophical stances. Although subjectivists contend that moral and evaluative language must be grounded on emotion rather than objective reality, the emotion in question may not necessarily be yours or mine but rather the emotion of other people in general. By extension, egoism maintains that, regardless of what others may believe or feel, I should only accept recommendations, look for items, and do actions insofar as I desire to. The fact that they are objectively "useful" does not require me to do anything if I don't want to.
Two of Plato's dramatic dialogues, the Gorgias, in which Socrates engages in a protracted debate with a character by the name of Callicles, and the Republic, in which a character by the name of Thrasymachus articulates the egoistic point of view Both Callicles and Thrasymachus make the case that the value of things comes from our desire for them, and that, as a result, living a happy life entails achieving your goals. If doing so necessitates controlling others and suppressing their goals in order to further your own, then so be it. When I obtain what I want, regardless of how this affects other people, I live the best life possible.
This is one way to express the point. Let's say I have to decide between furthering my profession and pursuing it dishonestly, as many people do in nations where corruption is pervasive. Why ought to I be truthful? The subjectivist notion that, in a sense, honesty is in the eye of the beholder is not being invoked by asking this question. I might agree that the course of action I'm thinking about is objectively dishonest. In fact, I can only be aware of a problem if I do accept this. In spite of that, I might still ponder why I should value honesty more highly than professional success.
We can start to see the outlines of an argument that could be used to support egoism if we distinguish it from selfishness.
How could we not support the idea of "getting what you want out of life" if it has no bearing on what is proper or bad to want (and hence may include extremely altruistic desires like the desire to labor for the greater good of others)?
Indeed, because it raises so many specific concerns that remain unanswered, it is uninformative from the perspective of determining actual behavior. But since we can only pursue the things we want to, we must accept that everyone, by default, adheres to the idea that one should get what one wants out of life. At least it is what one may assume. Is it real, though? Can we simply work for the things we want? If so, it is obvious that achieving our goals is a necessary component of living well.
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