ABSTRACT
This does not dispose of utilitarianism and the other narrow-sense moralities. They are still live possibilities for the right conception of interests under the general principle of egoism, though they would need to be reformulated in some cases. Altruism would have to be rejected as the principle that I ought always to think and do as required by other people’s interests rather than my own, for instance. It is still possible that the egoist could best ensure his own well-being by tending to the needs and desires of others as much as he can, a moral insurance policy. But it would be premature to take up these matters now. First we should think about a general principle for interpersonal relations, much as we have been thinking about a general principle for private conduct. This is a prior matter because any conception of interests that is played out among people will be constrained by such a general, orienting principle for moral rights. I will argue for a very strong moral right of individual sovereignty.
