Project Summary: Egoism and Altruism To many people, egoism is the most natural of human feelings. Each living thing seeks its own self-preservation. Ayn Rand is one moral philosopher who argued that egoism or selfishness is the only true morality. She argues that egoism is a moral virtue while the opposite called altruism is not a virtue but a vice. On the other hand, John Locke’s social contact theory about the origin of social and political cooperation is all about the benefits of cooperation for the common good and we can’t just live for ourselves alone.