Psychological Egoism:
All actions are motivated by self-interest.
Egoism: Acting with
self-interest as the main motive.
Altruism: Acting to help others without self-benefit.
Miracles: Events
that defy natural laws, seen as acts of God.
THE CASE FOR PSYCHOLOGICAL EGOISM
Major Premise (P1):
All voluntary actions are motivated by a desire that originates from the agent's internal value system, which is often shaped by subjective biases and a wish to interpret the world in a way favorable to the agent’s self-interest, even if this interpretation may not be fully accurate.
Minor Premise (P2):
Any action motivated by a desire that originates from the agent’s own value system is ultimately self-interested, because it reflects what the agent values, prefers, or identifies with—values that are themselves influenced by this biased and self-favoring perspective.
Conclusion (C):
Therefore, all voluntary actions are ultimately self-interested, as they arise from an internal value system that is inherently shaped by self-serving biases.
THE ARGUMENT
Miracles are events that seem to be against nature or the way natural law usually runs. In other words, they cannot be explained by nature. Examples are the Blessed Virgin Mary appearing to children, the unexplained cure of incurable illness, blood coming out of nowhere on Catholic communion wafers, the sun spinning at Fatima in Portugal in 1917 and most importantly Jesus Christ coming back to life after being dead nearly three days. It is thought that only God can do these things.
You may never feel more free and more happy than when you indulge your desire to help others and when you do it to indulge. You are doing it for you and not them. It follows that even if we might be wrong, we should assume that others help us for themselves and not for our sake.
If people report miracles that is not going to do us any good. So we can assume that they more than most are doing it because they want to believe in miracles.
Egoism is the view that even when people do good for others, their motivation is ultimately their own enjoyment or satisfaction. The positive effects on others are merely side effects. This can be problematic because it prioritizes personal pleasure over the well-being of others. It is a form of selfishness. But it means that practically speaking you can be one amazing person. Egotism is defined as selfishness which does not work for the wellbeing of others but against it.
I have a bun. I want to eat it. My friend wants it too. I give it to him. Religion says that this is an act of altruism or self-sacrifice. It is the motive that must be examined.
If I give it because I can, I am not giving it for him.
If it give it because it is unselfish then I am giving it for a principle and not for him.
If I give it to be unselfish then I must expect him to be unselfish and give it back. If I don't then I regard unselfishness as bad. Therefore I am not giving it because I intend to be good. A good result does not mean I had a good intention.
Egoism is about indulging desires. If we are naturally egoists, then the notion of God doing miracles as signs is ridiculous. Why? Because all he needs to do is tweak our emotional responses. We have no control over our feelings. We think we have control and loads of it. When I feel miserable and go for a walk to cheer myself up it seems I am controlling the feeling. But I did not make the good feeling. It happened just because I went for a walk. It might not have happened. So I never control my feelings.
If I am an egoist, then my god is me. I can't have another god. God setting up a religion with miracles and a theology to win me would only show God's own ignorance.
We are all egoists. We only do what we want to do under the circumstances. And wanting to do something necessarily implies you want to feel fulfilled by doing it. So what is the point of a God looking for worship from us and doing miracles for that purpose when all I ultimately love is myself? If miracles oppose egoism, as religion claims, then they are evil and want me to curse the way I am. Only I can decide what I should or shouldn’t do so God should mind his own business. I need to stop alleging that it is my duty to believe what he says.
God is violating my rights if he is commanding me to love him. And so is anybody who is his messenger for they urge that duty upon me. Miracles are to be avoided and opposed if they encourage that.
Conclusion:
If psychological egoism is true—that all actions are ultimately motivated by self-interest—then miracles, as divine acts meant to inspire worship or selflessness, lose their purpose. Since we only act to satisfy ourselves, the idea of God performing miracles to change or guide us is pointless. Miracles, instead of encouraging genuine devotion, clash with our nature and may even threaten our freedom to choose ourselves. Therefore, if psychological egoism accurately describes human nature, miracles serve no meaningful role and should be regarded as irrelevant or even harmful.