"There is no word more generally misinterpreted than the word egoism, in its modern sense"
About this Quote
“Egoism” is the kind of word a politician can weaponize with a raised eyebrow. Robinson’s complaint isn’t just semantic nitpicking; it’s a diagnosis of a culture that has learned to moralize vocabulary. In “its modern sense,” egoism has drifted from a technical idea - acting from self-interest, or centering the self as a motive - into an all-purpose insult: selfishness with a sneer. That shift matters because it collapses distinctions that political life depends on. A citizen advocating for their own wages, safety, or dignity can be framed as “egoistic” in the same breath as a profiteer or a demagogue. One label, many sins.
The intent is defensive and strategic. Robinson is trying to rescue a concept of legitimate self-regard from the puritan reflex to shame desire. In a democratic society, self-interest is not an embarrassing glitch; it’s a basic engine of negotiation. The subtext: moral language gets deployed to police whose interests count as respectable. When the powerful pursue advantage, it’s “prudence” or “enterprise.” When the powerless do, it becomes “egoism.”
His era helps explain the urgency. Late 19th and early 20th century politics was a battlefield of industrial capitalism, labor agitation, and competing theories of social obligation. Calling something “egoistic” could delegitimize reform as mere grasping. Robinson’s line tries to pull the pin out of that rhetorical grenade, insisting we separate selfishness from selfhood - and recognize how quickly “modern” meanings become tools of control.
The intent is defensive and strategic. Robinson is trying to rescue a concept of legitimate self-regard from the puritan reflex to shame desire. In a democratic society, self-interest is not an embarrassing glitch; it’s a basic engine of negotiation. The subtext: moral language gets deployed to police whose interests count as respectable. When the powerful pursue advantage, it’s “prudence” or “enterprise.” When the powerless do, it becomes “egoism.”
His era helps explain the urgency. Late 19th and early 20th century politics was a battlefield of industrial capitalism, labor agitation, and competing theories of social obligation. Calling something “egoistic” could delegitimize reform as mere grasping. Robinson’s line tries to pull the pin out of that rhetorical grenade, insisting we separate selfishness from selfhood - and recognize how quickly “modern” meanings become tools of control.
Quote Details
| Topic | Ethics & Morality |
|---|
More Quotes by John
Add to List
