Originally posted by avalanchethecat
I have read a certain amount on the subject. My understanding of the term Psychological Egoism is that it is the view that people are always motivated by self-interest. It seems apparent to me that this is not the case. Considering only my own motivations, I can readily find some which are not motivated by self-interest. Taking, for example, that esp ...[text shortened]... arlier by ToO - I echo his sentiment. [b]I echo his sentiment. How is that not self-centred?[/b]
You didn't provide your construal of 'self-centred', so I literally don't know what you mean when you ask "How is that not self-centred?"
If all you mean by 'self-centred' is that it originates from, or bears some other basic etiological relation, to the self, then of course all desires are "self-centred" in that sense. That, of course, would have nothing to do with how ToO was using the term. And that would be a totally trivial observation.
The way 'self-centered' or 'selfish' or 'self-interested' are used in the context of psychological egoism to qualify human motivation/desire is roughly the following. A motivation/desire is self-centered in this sense if it takes one's self or one's own welfare, in some materially relevant way, as its object. Psychological egoism is an empirical claim that says that all human motivations are as such. This is what I am claiming is emphatically false, based on the empirical evidence against it.
EDIT: Based on your post, it seems we would agree that psychological egoism is false. Then I guess the only confusion I would have here is why you thought your construal of 'self-centred' applied in context to ToO earlier comments. I think it is obvious that he was taking 'self-centered' to be in the same vein as you're taking 'self-interest' here.