Altruism Is Good Or Good - 1165 Words

Altruism is defined as the principle or practice of unselfish concern for or devotion to the welfare of others. Why would someone think that certain actions are moral? There are two answers. First, altruism is naturally positive but on the contrary there are situations that decisions are made with morally bad tendencies and motivations, in circumstantial selfishness. Secondly, altruism is good because of its affirmative effects. The outcome of altruism does not only effect the person to whom the altruism is intended for, but it has its indirect ramification on society. There is truth to both of these answers. We all have experiences of acting out of an impartial concern for the health of a friend or loved one. These experiences that we have had seem to be an unambiguous instance of moral virtue. It seems likely that if our society had more acts of altruism, our world would be a better place to live than if there were no altruism at all. With that being said, the two doubts about altruism being a good thing should be explained. First of all, altruistic acts are not always morally good. Imagine the organ donor being racist and this person wishes to donate or sell their organs, but only to a recipient of their own ethnicity. This person is doing an altruistic act but not a truly moral one. Certainly there are different ways in which an altruistic act could be considered wrong. Here are a couple of examples: The person who is doing the altruist act may be doing damage aboutShow MoreRelatedAltruism : Is The Good? Us? Altruism?1596 Words   |  7 PagesAltruism: The Good In Us Altruism, a trait only some possess, but many strive for. There is more than one definition for the word though all seem to have the same bases that it is the unselfish concern for the well-being of others. Various individuals perform positive deeds to aid and assist others; however, psychologists who have studied the altruistic trait have inconclusive evidence regarding the idea of â€Å"true altruism† and what role selfish motives function within a â€Å"selfless† trait. As oneRead MoreExtreme Altruism, People Who Risk Their For The Good Of Another Person3651 Words   |  15 PagesDaring to Care! Extreme Altruism†¦ INTRO 500words For my Personal Interest Project I have chosen to study extreme altruism, people who risk their for the good of another person. The reasoning that got my attention at choosing this topic was that of a personal family death which involved Altruism that occurred when I was younger. My links to the course are conformity and non conformity, continuity and change and how people behave in groups, also what aspect of identity or self encourages some toRead MoreAltruism: The Illusion of Self-Interest Essay1155 Words   |  5 PagesThe behavior of altruism in an individual is when it brings more costs than benefits for the benefit of another individual. Altruism comes from the Latin word Alter which means the others. This translation of alturism describes it relatively well. Another great definition of altruism can be found in a statement of Edward Osborne Wilson, an American biologist. According to Wilson, Altruism is defined in biology, as in everyday life, as a self-destructive behavior for the benefit of other.Read More Altruism: Selfless or Selfish? Essay1622 Words   |  7 PagesAltruism: Selfless or Selfish? We are all here on earth to help others. What I cant figure out is what the others are here for. --W. H. Auden (1) Whether we are here to help others is a question Ive often asked myself, and a question I will not be able to answer while I am still here on earth. Perhaps before I even consider that question, however, I should wonder whether we even can be here to help others: is selflessness really possible? Or is altruism merely doing things for othersRead More Daniel Dennetts Darwins Dangerous Idea: Evolution and the Meanings of Life1022 Words   |  5 PagesDaniel Dennetts Darwins Dangerous Idea: Evolution and the Meanings of Life Science can give us as good a moral code as any religion. Or so Daniel Dennett claims in his book, Darwins Dangerous Idea: Evolution and the Meanings of Life. Dennett provides the tools to explain human morality, and inadvertently leads the way to the conclusion (which he does not share) that science can clarify how human morality came about, but not serve as a substitute or model for moral codes, religious and secularRead MoreThe Origin Of Moral Sense By Charles Darwin1529 Words   |  7 Pageshave a sense of sympathy and need to do the right thing ingrained in them. Although Darwin believes it is instinctual to â€Å"do good†, it does not apply to the same species, only species of the same kind. Darwin’s second point argues that past actions that are good will be ingrained within ourselves, so we will repeat the same action again. Darwin argues that if we are not doing good even with a sense of right instilled in us, there will be a need to fulfill it, otherwise there will be a sense of dissatisfactionRead MoreWhat is an Altruist Society628 Words   |  3 PagesAltruism is a type of prosocial behaviour; Altruism is the act of doing something selfless for no benefit to yourself for others welfare. The purpose of altruism is to gain more social interaction between us and society. Altruism is good for many reasons, people belief there is a change in their behaviour, and they feel something that they like. For example, when someone donates to charity, they feel happier because they haven’t spent the money on themselves, and they are contributing not only toRead MoreSinger s Proposal Of Effective Altruism904 Words   |  4 PagesSinger’s proposal of effecti ve altruism is a combined philosophical and social movement that seeks to apply empirical evidence and human reasoning to find the most effective solution to better the world. The idea of finding the most effective solution to create social change draws similarities to the paramount utilitarian idea of the greatest happiness principle; the principle states that â€Å"actions are right in proportion as they tend to promote happiness, wrong as they tend to promote the reverseRead MoreAnalysis Of `` The Altruist Of Politics ``990 Words   |  4 PagesAnalysis of, â€Å"The Altruist in Politics† The benefits of communism have been debated for centuries. The underlining principle in communism is altruism. Benjamin Cardozo explains why altruism and communism will never be successful in reality. In Cardozo’s essay â€Å"The Altruist in Politics†, he explains that socialism will never work due to the fact it relies on altruism; although his argument is a strong one in the sense that he is passionate about his opinion and provides supporting evidence, it is problematic