Abstract
The paper outlines possible conception of phenomenon of egoism in ethics in the context of philosophical-anthropological construct of a state of nature. In the early modern period and the Enlightenment philosophy the foundation of ethical conduct was basically viewed in three different ways: as coming from the senses, as adequate to human reason and as a result of human egoism.
The paper discusses the third of these principles. It is based on a distinction between the concept of "egoism" and "self-love" and it shows the different connotations that both phenomena express.
If we take the first or second as one of the basic assumptions of survival in the human community, it seems as if such pursuit of self-preservation should also imply some fundamental ethical standards and ways of conduct in relation to others. However, the potential conflict between individualistic and social nature of man (whether forced or "natural") leads us also to the possibility of opposite negotiations: negotiations based on the absence of direct selfish motivation that would preserve the individual merely as a secondary consequence.
It seems, therefore, that sort of crossing more or less egotistical base of itself can then be human ability of compassion.