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Egotism is the the motivation to maintain and enhance favorable views of self to the point of being self-destructive. Examples would include: Image File history File links Unbalanced_scales. ... Shortcut: WP:NPOVD Articles that have been linked to this page are the subject of an NPOV dispute (NPOV stands for Neutral Point Of View; see below). ... Image File history File links Broom_icon. ...

• A gambler plunges deeper into debt when crushing losses should inform him to quit.
• A banker keeps lending to someone who clearly won’t pay back.
• A leader pours troops and money into a war that has become a quagmire.

It is closely related to narcissism, as well as a possible tendency to speak or write of oneself boastfully and at great length. Egotism may also be coupled with delusions of one's own importance, at the denial of others. This conceit is a character trait describing a person who acts to gain values in an amount excessively greater than that which he/she gives to others. Egotism is often accomplished by exploiting the altruism, irrationality and ignorance of others, as well as utilizing coercive force and/or fraud. This article is about narcissism as a word in common use. ... Look up conceit in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Action, as a concept in philosophy, is what an agent can do, as for instance humans as agents can do. ... Value is a term that expresses the concept of worth in general, and it is thought to be connected to reasons for certain practices, policies or actions. ... For the ethical doctrine, see Altruism (ethics). ... Irrationality is talking or acting without regard of rationality. ... For other uses, see Coercion (disambiguation). ...

Egotism differs from both altruism, or acting to gain fewer values than are being given, and egoism, a determination to gain and give an equal amount or degree of values. Various forms of "empirical egoism" can be consistent with egotism, as long as the value of one's own self-benefit is entirely individual. For the ethical doctrine, see Altruism (ethics). ... Egoism may refer to any of the following: psychological egoism - the doctrine that holds that individuals are always motivated by self-interest ethical egoism - the ethical doctrine that holds that individuals ought to do what is in their self-interest rational egoism - the belief that it is rational to act...

Brennan on occasion.

Etymology

The term "egotism" is derived from the Latin ego, meaning "self" or "I", and English, -ism, used to denote a philosophy. As such, the term is etymologically related very closely with egoism. The English suffix -ism was first used to form a noun of action from a verb. ... Egoism may refer to any of the following: psychological egoism - the doctrine that holds that individuals are always motivated by self-interest ethical egoism - the ethical doctrine that holds that individuals ought to do what is in their self-interest rational egoism - the belief that it is rational to act...

See also

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to:

Egotism

• Rational selfishness
• Ethical egoism

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