1) Multiple fields including biology, economics, and psychology view humans as fundamentally self-interested beings who act to maximize their own benefits.
2) Proponents of psychological egoism argue that even seemingly altruistic acts are ultimately motivated by self-interest through mechanisms like reciprocation, social approval, and guilt reduction.
3) Critics argue this view reduces human morality to self-interest and denies the possibility of true altruism, though most agree some forms of altruism could serve hidden self-interested motives.