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Altruism

Altruism is an ethical doctrine that holds the moral value of an individual's actions depends solely on their impact on others, regardless of the consequences for the individual. It was coined by Auguste Comte to describe the ethical doctrine that individuals have a moral obligation to renounce self-interest and live for others. Comte believed individuals are born with obligations to predecessors, successors, and contemporaries, and that the definitive formula of human morality is to serve humanity entirely by living for the sake of others through benevolence.

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105 views2 pages

Altruism

Altruism is an ethical doctrine that holds the moral value of an individual's actions depends solely on their impact on others, regardless of the consequences for the individual. It was coined by Auguste Comte to describe the ethical doctrine that individuals have a moral obligation to renounce self-interest and live for others. Comte believed individuals are born with obligations to predecessors, successors, and contemporaries, and that the definitive formula of human morality is to serve humanity entirely by living for the sake of others through benevolence.

Uploaded by

Jihene Samari
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© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Altruism (also called the ethic of altruism, moralistic altruism, and ethical altruism) is an ethical

doctrine that holds that the moral value of an individual's actions depend solely on the impact on
other individuals, regardless of the consequences on the individual itself. James Fieser states the
altruist dictum as: "An action is morally right if the consequences of that action are more favorable
than unfavorable to everyone except the agent."[1] Auguste Comte's version of altruism calls for living
for the sake of others. One who holds to either of these ethics is known as an "altruist."
The word "altruism" (French, altruisme, from autrui: "other people", derived from Latin alter: "other")
was coined by Auguste Comte, the French founder of positivism, in order to describe the ethical
doctrine he supported. He believed that individuals had a moral obligation to renounce self-interest
and live for others. Comte says, in his Catchisme Positiviste,[2] that:
[The] social point of view cannot tolerate the notion of rights, for such notion rests on individualism.
We are born under a load of obligations of every kind, to our predecessors, to our successors, to our
contemporaries. After our birth these obligations increase or accumulate, for it is some time before
we can return any service.... This ["to live for others"], the definitive formula of human morality, gives
a direct sanction exclusively to our instincts of benevolence, the common source of happiness and
duty. [Man must serve] Humanity, whose we are entirely."

As consequentialist ethics[edit]
Altruism is often seen as a form of consequentialism, as it indicates that an action is ethically right if it
brings good consequences to others. Altruism may be seen as similar toutilitarianism, however an
essential difference is that the latter prescribes acts that maximize good consequences for all of
society, while altruism prescribes maximizing good consequences for everyone except the actor.
Spencer argued that since the rest of society will almost always outnumber the utilitarian, a genuine
utilitarian will inevitably end up practicing altruism or a form of altruism. [7]

What is the moral code of altruism? The basic principle of altruism is that
man has no right to exist for his own sake, that service to others is the only
justification of his existence, and that self-sacrifice is his highest moral duty,
virtue and value.
Do not confuse altruism with kindness, good will or respect for the rights of
others. These are not primaries, but consequences, which, in fact, altruism
makes impossible. The irreducible primary of altruism, the basic absolute,
is self-sacrificewhich means; self-immolation, self-abnegation, self-denial,
self-destructionwhich means: the self as a standard of evil, the selfless as a
standard of the good.

Do not hide behind such superficialities as whether you should or should not
give a dime to a beggar. That is not the issue. The issue is whether you do or
do not have the right to exist without giving him that dime. The issue is
whether you must keep buying your life, dime by dime, from any beggar who
might choose to approach you. The issue is whether the need of others is the
first mortgage on your life and the moral purpose of your existence. The
issue is whether man is to be regarded as a sacrificial animal. Any man of
self-esteem will answer: No. Altruism says: Yes.

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