Why will egoism do more good than altruism?
Altruism orders you to do this and that, or make this sacrifice and that, which is sanctimonious because there is to be nothing in it for yourself. It just cares about rules and “goodness,” not you. That is a complete turn-off.
With egoism, you are being encouraged—not ordered—to develop your own happiness and dignity by behaving in a good way and doing it to be happy and to spread happiness to others. We find anybody preaching at us a turn-off and will resent it if we have to obey, and the reason is that our inclination towards self-indulgence is being denigrated and frustrated. Egoism is a better incentive to good behaviour than altruism, for it is warm and sensible and realistic. And it is more than just better—it’s a hundred times better. It is more natural.
Commonsense says that if we are naturally self-centred, as everybody who is honest agrees, then we should build on that to create people who are self-centred the right way, instead of trying to foist altruism on them. The altruists cannot consistently reason that they should make the person who practices unstable or unbalanced irrational egoism—which we call egotism—turn to rational egoism. If you are an egotist and extremely arrogant, it is easier to come down to the egoist level and become decent than it is for you to come down to the altruist level. The step from egotism to altruism is so big that it is only going to encourage those people to do evil. And when people realise the step is impossible, it gets worse. Altruists may have to hold that egoism is worse than egotism, for it looks good, while virtue is to be identified only with altruism. It cannot encourage egoism at all.
If egotists change, then why should they become altruists and turn their backs on happiness? Altruists will just have to say they should do it, for happiness is a sin. The egotists will be less likely to feel and see that happiness is evil when they practice egoism, so altruists have to either leave egotists as they are or they have to convert them to altruism. Egoism has to be left out of the equation. Altruism just cares about being selfless—that is all—and it cannot even tell us why we should not be selfless and kill ourselves for no reason, for that is as much selflessness as the kind it demands. At least egoism can give a reason for being egoistic. Altruists cannot say we should sacrifice for the sake of indirect happiness, for that would be adopting the egoism of working and doing good for happiness. It says we should sacrifice just because we should sacrifice. Even God should not be obeyed if he requests altruism, for it is evil.
Altruism has no real warmth. It is not a proper way to create people. It produces martyrdom, selfishness, and sadism in people. Altruism demands that we all give up ourselves and become egotists instead of egoists.
People’s behaviour is motivated by their hopes and dreams. And that is good, for you need some kind of future. But you cannot just hope and dream and ignore the present.
In actual practice, egoism is warm and realistic. It is a proper way to create people who do what is good for themselves and others, who have hope and dreams but who are still realistically happy.
Can egoism be universalised?
Yes, for it is about everybody putting themselves first. It is not about doing everything possible to the detriment of others. Egoism puts limits on what you can do to others.
The egoist should never do anything to others that they would not want others to do to themselves. But if someone else does what they want to you, and you do not want it, then you are entitled to stop it.
The egoist respects the limits others set. He is a good listener.
Egoism is a moral theory, not an amoral one. It encourages the pursuit of dignity and happiness without demanding the sacrifice of others or oneself.