I don't think so. In this view, the concepts of what constitutes ethical behavior have arisen from individuals coming to understand what sort of society is most

I don't think so. In this view, the concepts of what constitutes ethical behavior have arisen from individuals coming to understand what sort of society is most likely to give the best outcome according to their own long-term self interest. This is no more begging the question than the concept of survival of the fittest in theories of evolution, the point being that there is a coherent concept of fitness in that case, and self-interest in this one. In both cases, the question being addressed is "how did we arrive at the current state of affairs, when other outcomes are at least logically possible?"