Altruism

[Master Vigil]

Yeah, the after thought, or the pre thought, does not negate the fact that the act in itself was good.

 

[Alaric]

But then how do we know that the act was good?

Altruism is 'unselfish concern for the welfare of others', so altruism depends only on the motivation. An act is still altruistic even if you screw up and do more harm than good. It's just the act itself that is 'unhelpful' or damaging.

If we know someone intends to do good, but the action results in harm, then at least we can explain or train the person to do better next time. I think it's more important that someone wants to do good than someone does good blindly.

 

[Death]

But then how do we know that the act was good?

The outcome was "good" because people got something beneficial out of it.

Altruism is 'unselfish concern for the welfare of others', so altruism depends only on the motivation. An act is still altruistic even if you screw up and do more harm than good. It's just the act itself that is 'unhelpful' or damaging.

Agreed. The altruism is entirely dependent on motive. That same altruism isn't all that important imo so long as someone is willing to do the actual action.

If we know someone intends to do good, but the action results in harm, then at least we can explain or train the person to do better next time. I think it's more important that someone wants to do good than someone does good blindly.

If someone wants to pick of crap from a highway, per se, even if it's only for their own pleasure and noone else's, I suspect altruism is a straw definition of what is really going on, since I have no idea when someone wasn't altruistic because they didn't get some sort of good feeling out of it.

 

[Master Vigil]

I think a person can become altruistic when they realize that the self is empty and non existent. St. Francis didn't go out and help the poor and rebuild churches because he wanted notoriaty, he never even became a priest. He did it, because the people needed it, and "supposedly" god told him to rebuild the churches. Of course, I cannot speak on his behalf being that I wasn't there. But I definitely believe he was an altruistic man.

 

[THEDARKONE4]

Yeah, it's possible. I've done it before.
I was walking up to the local movie store one day, happened to see a guy trying to push his truck off the street. I helped the guy get it up. And, when I started back walking, I felt that I had done something good, and I was satisfied with myself.

 

[painted wolf]

Much of native american society was based on helping others... greed was the greatest of evils.
Truthfully this makes good sence for the survival and benifit of all....

absolute altruism is like any other absolute... falce.

no motive in human experiance is without ego of some form. Kudos to those who try to rid themselves of it.

eaven the man who sacrifices his own life for anothers has a motive byond just doing something good... love for others and the sanctity of life for example.

wa:-do

 

[Master Vigil]

Some taoist ideas talk about how everything is connected. And even if you were doing a good deed that was atleast a little selfish, it didn't matter. Since you are connected to everyone, even doing good to yourself is also doing good to others. Its just like, if your happy and you walk into a room, and starting talking to others happily, they will soon become happier. You had no intention of this, being that you were just happy. But it just caught on.

 

[Green Gaia]

I believe altruism is what should be strived for, but will never be fully achieved simply because we are human, with fallable emotions and feelings and a strong sense of self preservation. We can do things out of true wanting to help others, but with knowing that in doing so, our own life will be fullfilled in some way through our good deeds.

 

[Rex]

*bump to give this a revival*

 

[Ronald]

Altruism; How Jewish! Have any of you read "The Wisdom in the Hebrew Alphabet" by Rabbi Michael L. Munk The Sacred Letters as a Guide to Jewish Deed and Thought?
The Torah begins and ends with Chessed. Y H V H 's altruism! Maybe Grace?