quotations about altruism
The reason people act altruistically is well contested among academics. Some argue that people are innately selfish and the only way to override our greedy tendencies is to exercise self-control. Others are more positive, believing that humans naturally find generosity rewarding and that we only act selfishly when we pause to think about it.
CELL PRESS
"Altruism is simpler than we thought, brain study shows", Medica Xpress, July 15, 2015
I don't care if you're a parent giving to a child, a worker to a company, or a romantic to a lover, this behavior eventually leads to resentment. There's always a hidden agenda of What's in it for me? It's often suppressed, and this is why sacrifice is ultimately unwise and incomplete. Does this mean that there's no such thing as altruism, philanthropy, or generosity? No, it just means that anytime these exist, so do egocentricity, misanthropy, and greed. There's always a balancing force, even if it's sometimes hidden or unconscious.
JOHN F. DEMARTINI
The Heart of Love
Altruism is a far more tricky concept philosophically than self-interest, for it involves not only defining the motives of an individual actor, but also dealing with the consequences of those actions for a multitude of other actors. It may be that the frustrations of trying to define the term constitute one major reason so many turn to the conceptually clearer notion of self-interest in the first place.
ELISABETH STEPHANIE CLEMENS
Private Action and the Public Good
Altruism, especially when it extends beyond biological relations (kin altruism) and beyond "tit-for-tat" calculations grounded in self-interest (reciprocal altruism), is widely lauded and is commonly considered a foundation of moral life, although it need not imply the total eclipse of self-concern or a quest for self-immolation. In its fullest expression, which may include significant self-sacrifice in the aid of strangers or even enemies, altruism is a source of perennial fascination across cultures. Regardless of its duration, intensity, emotional engagement, sacrifice, and extensivity, the common feature of altruism is affirmation of and care for "the other as other".
STEPHEN G. POST, LYNN G. UNDERWOOD, JEFFREY P. SCHLOSS & WILLIAM B. HURLBUT
introduction, Altruism and Altruistic Love: Science, Philosophy, and Religion in Dialogue
People who volunteer lead longer, healthier lives. Some public-health experts believe the time has come for doctors to recommend it alongside diet and exercise.
JAMES HAMBLIN
"The Physiological Power of Altruism", The Atlantic, December 30, 2015
Altruism may be ... so fundamental, so essential to the survival of human beings that it has taken root in neurocircuitries designed for other purposes, finding its expression in numerous unexpected, but largely successful ways.
SHELLEY E. TAYLOR
attributed, Stewardshift: An Economia for Congregational Change
One important basis of cooperation in the group is likely to have been reciprocal altruism--you do me a favor and I will do you a favor. Reciprocal altruism is found in all known human societies and is an important basis of sociality. (It is also an important basis of sociality in many other species as well.) By helping each other out, people can do better in a group than they can on their own.
ROSEMARY L. HOPCROFT
Sociology: A Biosocial Introduction
The reason why we help others at a cost to ourselves has long presented a puzzle for scientists. Why do some of us do it more than others? And are we doing it because we are truly moved by the suffering of others or simply because we feel we ought to return a favour or even get something in return? Looking at behaviour alone, it can be hard to tell.
JO CUTLER & DANIEL CAMPBELL-MEIKLEJOHN
"Are you a true altruist or driven by self-interest? Brain scan may give verdict", Medical Xpress, March 4, 2016
When altruism is conceived as the mechanism by which DNA multiplies itself through a network of relatives, spirituality becomes just one more Darwinian enabling device.
EDWARD O. WILSON
Sociobiology: The New Synthesis
Altruism is rarer than it should be among leaders, and that's a shame, because selflessness is key to being aware and avoiding a myopic view of things.
JOHN MATTONE
"Become a Transformational Leader and Transform Your Organization with 7 Indispensable Keys", Huffington Post, February 17, 2016
In the most extreme cases, altruism is evolutionarily self-defeating, because if I sacrifice myself out of altruistic kindness for others, then I cannot pass that altruistic trait on to my children, and thus that altruistic trait would die out.
LOUIS P. POJMAN & JAMES FIESER
Cengage Advantage Ethics: Discovering Right and Wrong
The most popular form of altruism is giving to others the advice you cannot use yourself.
EVAN ESAR
20,000 Quips & Quotes
Is there any evidence for corporate "altruism"? The answer appears to be "no" ... "enlightened self-interest" rather than altruism is what drives socially responsible behaviour in this area. Normative pressures can increase social responsibility, largely because such pressures lead corporate officers to perceive that socially responsible behaviour is in the corporation's own best interest. Although individual corporate officers may feel empathy or have "group-oriented feelings", corporations obviously do not. The behaviour of those corporate officers, acting for the corporation, must be largely determined by the self-interest of the company.
PILIAVIN & CHARNG
attributed, The Power of the Stranger: Structures and Dynamics in Social Intervention -- A Theoretical Framework
Altruism in nature remains an exception. It poses a puzzle, being in prima facie conflict with the survival of the fittest and most selfish.
PETER BIRKS
Privacy and Loyalty
Perhaps the most piercing lesson from effective altruism is that one can make an astonishing difference in the world with a pinch of logic and dash of math.
DEREK THOMPSON
"The Greatest Good", The Atlantic, June 15, 2015
The central question now is whether altruism is primarily innate (part of our genetic heritage) or something that's produced by parents and society. The answer seems to be a bit of both. Genes generally equip us to become altruistic, but if we have a really miserable childhood, that impulse might not develop.
SHARON BAILIN & MARK BATTERSBY
Reason in the Balance: An Inquiry Approach to Critical Thinking
And all people live, not by reason of any care they have for themselves, but by the love for them that is in other people.
LEO TOLSTOY
Tales from Tolstoy
An altruist is one who would be sincerely sorry to see his neighbor's children devoured by wolves.
H. L. MENCKEN
A Little Book in C Major
We have so far to go to realize our human potential for compassion, altruism, and love.
JANE GOODALL
Harvest for Hope
One reason people deny that altruism exists is that, looking inward, they doubt the purity of their own motives. We know that even when we appear to act unselfishly, other reasons for our behavior often rear their heads: the prospect of a future favor, the boost to reputation, or simply the good feeling that comes from appearing to act unselfishly.
JUDITH LICHTENBERG
"Is Pure Altruism Possible?", New York Times, October 19, 2010