Altruism

Altruism is generally defined as the practice of taking concern for other individuals outside of our sphere of normal significance due to a belief in helping others. Altruism might seem similar to supererogation (going above and beyond normal duty), and while they are not mutually exclusive in a person's character, supererogatory acts are usually referenced within the sphere of obligation. Imagine a lifeguard that has the duty of blowing a whistle when a shark is spotted. A supererogatory act of the lifeguard would be, after detection of the shark, leaping into the water to ensure everyone leaves and to ‘fend’ off the shark. On the other hand, an altruistic act might be using the financial proceeds from the job and using it to donate to charity (i.e. has nothing to do with the lifeguard's duty or role and more to do with the lifeguard's charitable disposition). Though, the two may sometimes be referenced interchangeably. Two primary questions arise in discussions of altruism. The first is: does altruism exist? There are some theories that state that we never truly act in the interest of other individuals, and - in cases of external beneficence- we are actually only acting in our interests. We have a desire to help others, and then conduct altruistic acts - but these acts are not committed for “the sake of itself”, but rather to fulfill our internal sentiments to feel good about ourselves. This is more similar to egoism, which altruism is usually presented as a contrast to. However, others state that this [psychological egoism] does not take away from the value of altruistic acts. It could be argued that a mother is biologically inclined to love their children, but this does not take away from the fact of a maternal connection to her child. The second question focuses on whether or not altruistic acts are valuable at all. Shouldn’t familial or friendly (relating to close friends) relationships take priority over people unknown to you? If altruistic acts are morally valuable, then shouldn't they be obligatory and thus done out of a sense of 'duty' - not charity? Research on altruism, philosophically and psychologically, has significantly developed in recent years - and will probably continue to - as ideas such as effective altruism have flourished.