Many of us love the classic Christmas story by Charles Dickens, entitled A Christmas Carol. For those who may not be familiar with the story, here is a synopsis:

In Dickens' famous novel, we meet the central character, Ebenezer Scrooge. It is Christmas Eve, and Scrooge is working in his money-lending business in London with his clerk, Bob Cratchit. Scrooge is an elderly miser who has rejected all the joys of life to amass a fortune. His nephew, Fred---son of his deceased and greatly loved sister, Fran--- drops by to invite his uncle to Christmas dinner, which Scrooge refuses as a waste of time. Two men seeking a Christmas donation for the poor also call on Scrooge, who heartlessly turns them away. When Cratchit asks for a day off work to spend Christmas with his family, Scrooge scolds him for being lazy, but grudging allows him to do so.Scrooge's business partner, Jacob Marley, has been dead for seven years. At home that evening, Marley's ghost visits Scrooge to warn him of the punishment awaiting hard-hearted people and promises to send three spirits to guide him to a better path.The three spirits of Christmas Past, Christmas Present, and Christmas Yet To Come each take him on a journey through his life. Christmas Past shows him the happier and more innocent days of his youth when he enjoyed parties and relationships. The spirit points to the scene when his one love, Belle, ended their relationship because she realized that Ebenezer loved money more than he loved her. Christmas Present shows Scrooge the happiness of families in his own day enjoying Christmas dinner and playing games, which Scrooge realizes he misses deeply. Christmas Yet To Come shows him his future death, where he is mourned by no one and his possessions are stolen by his few associates. Worst of all, he learns that Bob Crachit's son, Tiny Tim--- who is loved by everyone who knows him--- is seriously ill and will die because the Cratchits cannot afford medical care for him. The vision ends with Scrooge falling into his own open grave.Awakening on Christmas morning in his own bed, Scrooge vows to change his ways. He makes a donation to the charity to feed the poor, raises Bob Cratchit's salary, pays for Tiny Tim's medical care, and he shows up unexpectedly at Fred's home for Christmas dinner. From then on, Ebenezer Scrooge lives every day with kindness and the true spirit of Christmas.

After watching the assigned materials in this module, analyze Dickens' story of Scrooge's transformation in light of ethical egoism. Remember that ethical egoism claims that the guiding moral principle is always self-interest. Ethical egoists argue that Scrooge's life before the vision was ruled by misguided self-interest, and that his transformation was not away from egoism, but to a more enlightened egoism. This enlightened egoism understands that true self-interest involves relationships and positive experiences with other people. Do you agree with this view? Why or why not? Use examples from the story and from your own experience.

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