Altruism

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Yes,we've all heard of Mother Teresa,yes she was more than Altruistic-she was Superogatory! Is it even possible? There truth is such actions are unfalsifiable,any views?

[suffianr]

'Depends on how far you're willing to go with the concept of "faith", both in your own beliefs and abilities, and the sense of conviction or motivation that provides the impetus for your actions.

Quite simple, really.

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No,I dare to disagree. Faith plays little part in altruistic actions,when one offers to help out a person then his or her actions are unfalsifiable,meaning we can not tell wether or not the actions are altruistic or egoistic. Meaning do we perform actions out of the goodness of our hearts(altruism)or just simply because we do not desire to feel guilty for not being compassionate,or we might even get praise for our actions(egoism)? That was what I asked

[Pete]

Good man, I have nothing to say on this topic, but if you want a name change to something less email-like in nature PM one of the mods, preferably Dhul Fiqar.]

-Pete

[suffianr]

Read my answer properly.

What I'm saying is that altruistic individuals are motivated by that key notion of faith in their cause and their actions ultimately reflect that faith, or conviction, that what they're doing is always the right thing, the necessary thing.

For example:

If I'm going to help an old lady to cross the road (or liberate a Third World country from the yoke of imperialism), I know I'm right, damn the consequences. As an altruistic person, I would consider either cause to be rewarding enough in itself (lady gets to cross the road, peasants get liberated), and I would consider praise for my actions as either a) unavoidable, or b) a small bonus. A sum of parts, with the main part being the duty or necessity of the individual action itself.

Altruism is therefore, in a broad sense, based on intentions. If my motive for helping the arthiritic Mrs. Henderson cross the road because I just felt like it, then that may not be altruism. If my purpose was to get the attention, and subsequent adoration ("Oh, he's such a sweet man, helping old ladies to cross the street!") of the buxom waitress looking absently through the window across the street, then that may not be altruism, either. If it was for pity's sake, then...

(It's obviously not about Brownie Points, here.)

But I looked at Mrs. Henderson, with her shopping bags, her arthiritis and frail disposition, and felt nothing but "she needs to get across and I can help her right now, so I'm going to do it", then that, my boy, is probably altruism.

[Purple]

In very much of all actions, there is a small desire for self-credit... If you help an old lady across the road, most common you will feel good about yourself(self-credit), or you excpect an reward, like a thank you or a nice little smile from the old lady(self-credit), that will make you feel nice....