Follow-Up Post Instructions
Respond to at least one person. Further the dialogue by providing more information and clarification.

Minimum of 2 sources cited (assigned readings/online lessons and an outside scholarly source)
APA format for in-text citations and list of references

Please write a minimum of five complete sentences for your one peer posting. You should also consider referencing some information from the course textbook, lecture lessons, or a scholarly source to help support your written response post.

This discussion focuses on Ayn Rand and self-interest.
Kim (2014) stated that the most common definition used for self-interest includes the ability to maximize material resources while decreasing the level of harm caused to an individual. This harm can include a persons health. It can also include a persons wealth. Self-interest is considered a powerful motivator. According to Kim (2014), self-interest is the motivation behind humans setting goals. It is also the reason behind individuals achieving them.
Kim (2014) also noted that engaging in pleasure that makes an individual feel subjectively good can lead to self-interest. This can happen even if the person does not obtain any monetary gain. Likewise, this can occur even if an individuals health is not impacted. For example, the taxpayer who wants to pay taxes simply because it makes him feel good to help society would be self-interested because of the hedonistic benefits he accrues (Kim, 2014, p. 100). Likewise, an individual who engages in risky sexual behaviors and/or smoking cigarettes both could be interpreted as self-interest. Kim (2014) stated that the pleasure feelings that individuals experience are self-interested even if these feelings coming with expenses to the health of the individual engaging in them.
As it relates to the publics view on self-interest, many American voters in the 1950s declared self-interest as playing a pivotal role in society (Weeden & Kurzban, 2017). Since the 1950s; however, researchers have completed studies that reflect the opposite. Voters are now finding self-interest to play less of a role in society.
In closing, it is important to know that Alexis de Tocqueville held his own views related to self-interest. These views were no precursor to the views of philosopher Ayn Rand. Tocqueville believed that self-interest could lead a person to support others or it could lead to an individualized focus (Frohnen, 2000). Rand believed in the individualism as well as mans ability to reason. Moreover, Rand believed when we describe one persons action as altruistic and another persons action as self-interested, we may be overlooking the fact that in each case the person is merely doing what he or she most wants to do(p. 69).

Attached is a video with more information related to Ayn Rand and self-interest verse altruism (Common Sense Capitalism, 2013).
Youtube: Ayn Rand: Self Interest versus Altruism

References
Common Sense Capitalism. (2013, April 2). Ayn Rand: Self-Interest verses altruism. [Video]. YouTube. https://youtu.be/VYGyEy18mEM
Frohnen, B. (2000). Compassionate conservatism rightly understood: Self-interest in a humane economy. Intercollegiate Review, 36(1/2), 34.
Kim, A. (2014). The curious case of self-interest: Inconsistent effects and ambivalence toward a widely accepted construct. Journal for the Theory of Social Behavior, 44(1), 99“122. https://doi.org/10.1111/jtsb.12032
Rachels, J., & Rachels, S. (2019). The elements of moral philosophy. [VitalSource Bookshelf]. Retrieved from https://bookshelf.vitalsource.com/#/books/9781260213003/
Ruggiero, V. R. (2012). Thinking critically about ethical issues. Mc-Graw Hill.
Weeden, J., & Kurzban, R. (2017). Self-interest is often a major determinant of issue attitudes. Political Psychology, 38(1), 67“90. https://doi.org/10.1111/pops.12392

Please see an example of a peer post response that you can use as a guide.

I enjoyed reading the comments that you shared in your initial post as it relates to female circumcision. Valid points were shared related to the world view you held. For example, I appreciated reading information that you wrote related to subjective moral relativist. Also, you shared good information related to the steps that you would take as to whether you can assist the surgeon. Allow me to share some additional insight as it relates to female circumcision as well as my thoughts related to cultural relativism. It is true that equality exists when examining cultures and societies based on a cultural relativist perspective. According to Rachels and Rachels (2019), Different cultures have different moral codes (p. 14). As a nurse, my Hippocratic Oath is to do no harm (El-Gibaly et al., 2019). Since female genital mutilation (FGM) is illegal in a country like the United Kingdom (Bourne, 2018), my cultural beliefs would be in opposition to assisting the surgeon. This is where our views differed.