A common form of psychological egoism says that people perform actions-even actions that appear to be altruistic or selfless-solely to obtain satisfaction, happiness, or pleasure. But Feinberg argues that this view of the matter is muddled. It is much more likely that we act to obtain particular things, not satisfaction itself, and that we experience satisfaction as a byproduct of obtaining those things. We don't seek satisfaction; we seek certain things that give us satisfaction when we acquire them. If the things themselves were not the object of our desires, it would be difficult to see how we could get any satisfaction from our attaining them.
-Feinberg says that from the fact that all our successful actions are accompanied or followed by pleasure, it follows that the objective of every action is to get pleasure for oneself.

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Feinberg's argument is that pleasure or satisfaction is a byproduct of achieving our actual objectives, not the primary goal itself. He challenges the idea that the objective of every action is to get pleasure for oneself, suggesting instead that we seek specific things, and satisfaction comes as a result of obtaining those things.

A Common Form of Psychological Egoism Says That People Perform