Scooter Libby: An Argument Against Egoism

I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby, the former Cheney Chief of Staff, has had his fifteen minutes of fame. This "fifteen minutes," has lasted since October of 2005, when he was first implicated in a CIA leak, in which a CIA Official's name was leaked to reporters.

Most recently, Mr. Libby was convicted of perjury and obstruction of justice, as reported by Associated Press writers Matt Apuzzo and Michael Sniffen.

While I have not known a politician who acts only in the best interest of others without putting his career first, I think that Mr. Libby serves as an example of the flaws in egoism. Pojman details the economist argument for egoism as self-interest competition leading to a best overall situation for society (Pojman p. 88). Lewis Libby, however, demonstrates what may well happen when one person's self-interest conflicts with those of others.

According to the Economist argument, Lewis Libby's perjury, as it was self-serving, was done in the best interest of society. Therefore, it was unjust of the government to convict him, even though his perjury obstructed a federal investigation. Because the perjury would serve a greater purpose than permitting the investigation to move forward, Mr. Libby was permitted, even obligated for the greater good of society, to commit perjury.

Though egoism in the economist sense might seem to be a utopian societal philosophy that is hindered only by the "archaic" outlooks perpetuated by organized religions throughout the ages, the egoist alternative serves only to rationalize behavior that is purely self-serving under the guise of serving the greater good. In the case of Ayn Rand, a concern for oneself without any concern for the impact our choices have on society as a whole ultimately leads to anarchy.

And so, Lewis Libby can be viewed in a number ways. His perjury benefits society as a whole as supporters of the economist argument would contend, the needs of the individual are paramount and he should do whatever it takes to benefit himself without any regard for society, or, the option I choose, self-interest can only take an individual and a society so far. Self-interest motivation leads us to better ourselves, but strengthening those around us can also lead to self improvement while simultaneously enriching society as a whole.