Altruism: The Illusion of Self-Interest Essay

Altruism, despite the fact that a human conduct, needs extraordinary expressions to convey what needs be on all levels of unselfishness, for example, love and regard, since benevolence is regularly mistaken for any benevolent conduct made by living animals, and we should not utilize this general term to depict specific practices and behaviours.

Altruism is a concept in which the individual sacrifices regard for themselves in the interest of another. The ethics of altruism state that a person should act in a matter where their self-sacrifice yields the greater well being on the whole. To put that statement in the form of a fundamental principle of rightness, an action is right if and only if (and because) the action brings a net-gain of well being to anyone except the individual performing the action. The altruistic mentality of an individual according to this moral theory means that any action that they undertake should be in the interest of others rather than themselves. The ethics of this concept also state that relationships of greater value to the individual carrying out an action should come second in priority to those they have with strangers since the close relationship has a much more meaningful connection to a person’s life. In these situations, the only morally correct way of acting is in the way that defeats the well being of the agent of an action for the sake of others.

Acting with an unselfish and benevolent regard towards others isn’t always the easiest thing for one to do and most people have to put in a conscious effort to do it but some people believe that human beings are hard wired to behave altruistically as a primal method of survival. Humans could never

At the end of the 12-month-old patient’s well-check appointment, my preceptor asked if the parents wanted their child to receive the seasonal flu vaccine. Due to their older child’s previous reaction to the vaccine, the parents expressed no desire for their infant to receive it. My preceptor briefly discussed with them the benefits of receiving the vaccine. However, she also took the time to understand their perspective and displayed empathy by expressing how she understood how it could be a difficult decision for the parents to make based on their previous experience. Through legitimate and expert power from being the infant’s physician, the physician was able to have a respectful discussion with the parents with both expressing their viewpoints.

A Jury plays a necessary part in the criminal justice system in England and Wales. Trial by jury is one of the ways that could be useful for reaching justice in the courts. The jury has 12 citizens who are chosen randomly from different genders and different ages. (The Guardian, 2005) the jurors work is to help the judge to a make decision about the case so the lawyers show them the evidence and anything related to the case and then the jurors will try to make the right judgment whether the criminal is guilty or not.

In the book, The Selfish Gene by Richard Dawkins he elaborates on two very important phrases that he will share throughout the entire book. “This book will show how both individual selfishness and individual altruism are explained by the fundamental law that I am calling gene selfishness.” (6) I am sure we all know the word selfishness pretty well, but to some ‘altruism’ may be new. The way I view it is that if someone is altruistic, than they do things that benefit the good of the group, species, or simply, anyone but themselves. In this book we learn the difference in natural selection and how selfishness and altruism effect those things. Dawkins will mainly relate his matter to different types of animals and explain the biological changes

Altruism refers to the concern for the welfare and well being of others without personal gains or

An oxymoron appeared to exist between Darwin’s theory of natural selection (1859) and the definition of altruism (West et al., 2006). Hamilton’s theory of inclusive fitness (1964) appeared to mediate this problem. However, the theory does not explain altruistic acts towards non-kin in line with natural selection. Reciprocal altruism (Trivers, 1971), indirect altruism (Alexander, 1987) and strong reciprocity (Gintis, 2000) have been proposed to resolve this conflict. It is of note that behaviour in all theories has been noted in animals, but will not be discussed further. Instead, the essay will focus on which theories are most relevant when understanding human sociality, with the author explaining why no sole theory is seen to describe the phenomenon. All theories will be discussed in relation to evolutionary stable strategies (ESS), which refers to plans that when adopted by a majority of members in a population that restrict any other action existing, which could yield higher reproductive success (Smith & Price, 1973).

Exit the King by Eugene Ionesco directed by Trey Irby in presentation with the Blue Masque was a complete production that felt well explored and executed. The play itself is a somewhat dark look into the fall of a king, his kingdom and final hours of his life. This much darker subject matter is balanced with comic relief provided by the guard, the maid and occasional banter of the king’s two wives. A well flushed out script that examines such a timeless struggle as the delicate balance of life and death poses immense challenge for those involved. While this challenge occasionally made itself known, the acting body as a whole did a fine job at overcoming these hurdles.

Altruism is when the actions of a person promote the best consequences for others, yet do not benefit the person who performed the act. Abruzzi and McGandy (2006) explain that Auguste Comte developed the term to support his ethical stance that humans are morally obliged to serve the interests of others,

Many have defined altruism in a similar context, a special form of helping behaviour that is “an act that is motivated by the desire to benefit another individual rather than oneself” (Hogg &Vaughan, 2008). An altruistic act does not necessarily have a negative or zero value to the actor (Margolis, 1982) but a true altruistic act is detrimental to the actor's fitness and enhances another individual’s fitness, in other words, a selfless act (Batson, 1991). Throughout the evolution of altruism, there have been many controversies about the existence of true altruism. Most theories have argued that it stems from ulterior motives, but does that prove

Called the covariance or Price equation, this formula tested natural selection and altruism's role in it (Bankston). “From the Price equation, we can see that such ultimate causes equate to the different ways in which the frequency of an altruistic allele in a population can increase. Under this approach, the ultimate causes underlying the evolution of altruism, given some positive fitness costs and benefits” (Marshall).

Benjamin Cardozo has a strong argumentative essay against the idea of altruism. Cardozo’s central claim is if people allow altruism to be practiced in government then they will lose their individualism and their government would eventually collapse. To being his article Cardozo explains how the lower class will always dislike the upper class and that is the reason altruism has been a topic of discussion for centuries. Cardozo then proceeds to explain how the world is driven by self interest. The reason things get accomplished by people is for the reason of self interest. Cardozo explains that altruism would kill the idea of self interest and people would be less likely to be productive. Next Cardozo describes how altruism would make all people poor which would give the illusion that no one was actually poor. Cardozo then goes on to ask the question of how altruism

How do humans actually behave when faced with the decision to help others? The innate desire that compels humans to help is called altruism by psychologists. Through this feeling, humans transform from a selfish jerk to a more compassionate and caring person. Some psychologists believe that this feeling stems from nature itself. Despite the fact that some altruistic acts originate from the pressures of society, altruism predominantly comes from the survival of the fittest, the feeling of empathy, and the selfish desire to benefit your own kin.

Altruism, in which one selflessly devotes to the welfare of another without expecting anything in return, often elicits an inexplicable and intangible surge of joy, in which one gains a sense of purpose. For example, I have observed the therapists at PRANA, whom altruistically devote up to an hour, when initially only allotted a half-hour time slot, programming individualized treatments for each patient. In their hour- long treatments, they create a non-fraternizing relationship with their patients that is fully functional on trust, empathy, and generosity. Devoting that extra time to each patient gives not only the