Comments on: Does Altruism Exist?

By: Craig Volpe

Craig Volpe — Thu, 17 Mar 2011 19:20:00 +0000

I think it’s generally true that humans act out of self interest however I also believe altruism exists. Here is hypothetical situation:
My little brother is going to die. I have choice of letting him die and inheriting his possessions, or I can sacrifice myself to save him. Let’s assume if I let him die no one will know that I could have saved him so no one will judge me about it. As an atheist, I do not believe in an afterlife and have no desire to die because I cease to exist at that point. Which also means I don’t care about what people think of me once I’m dead. The only time I would desire to die is if it ended unbearable suffering I was experiencing, which would not be true in this scenario. The only selfish aspect of sacrificing myself would be avoiding remorse I would experience if I let him die. Everything else being equal, I would rather live with that remorse than die. And yet I would sacrifice myself to save him. There are countless reasons why it would be in my self interest to live, and only one smaller reason why it would be in my self interest to sacrifice myself. I attribute the reason why I would save him to altruism.

By: Nick

Nick — Tue, 01 Jun 2010 06:41:14 +0000

I full-heartedly agree. True altruism does not exist. It's a nice concept, but like you said, it cannot be practiced. Human beings act out of self-interest, it is in our nature. The moment you “lend a hand to someone” because you “want to”, that hinders the selflessness of the act; you are not acting out of selflessness, but out of your own self-interest. Quite simply, you cannot do something you do not want to do (unless coerced); but even then, you are doing that “something” because you “want to” out of fear for the potential repercussions or consequences. Therefore, altruism cannot be practiced.

By: Nick

Nick — Tue, 01 Jun 2010 01:41:14 +0000

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By: Joseph

Joseph — Sat, 13 Feb 2010 15:21:53 +0000

Could it be that Altruism is conceived as a duty, as a moral duty (the law) or a religious duty? In that sense how can it exist, for there is no love involved.

By: Joseph

Joseph — Sat, 13 Feb 2010 15:21:00 +0000

Could it be that Altruism is conceived as a duty, as a moral duty (the law) or a religious duty? In that sense how can it exist, for there is no love involved.