Z:gnu-www-ja-self-interest--75e777-Self-interest is not necessari/en

Self-interest is not necessarily evil, though it can lead people to act in morally reprehensible ways. The love of self, and the consequent development of self-interest, is one aspect of a creature who is also a social, and hence moral, being. Self-interest itself can serve moral interests in a free society so long as that society has the proper foundations. The elements of those foundations include not only a populace sharing a substantial body of moral beliefs and habits but also the formal political structures, positive laws, and accepted court decisions capable of supporting both social order and personal freedom. Once those are in place, and once they have been internalized by the bulk of the citizens, then self-interest will provide a fuel of sorts to keep an economy functioning effectively without leading to immoral results on the whole. The question is always: Is our society organized properly, in its positive laws and in the habits we teach our children and reinforce in ourselves, so that self-interest and moral principles do not generally come into conflict?