[SteveA]

Quote by: Rave7pt0 Well, the question is muddled because altruism doesn't require that the helper receive no benefit, just that he not act with regard to whatever benefit may come... that's a whole new dimension of confusion.

But altruism is, by definition, something selfless. So it is acting for the sake of others with no concern for yourself.

al·tru·ism ( P ) Pronunciation Key (ltr-zm)
n.
Unselfish concern for the welfare of others; selflessness.
Zoology. Instinctive cooperative behavior that is detrimental to the individual but contributes to the survival of the species.

I did already state that there are actions people commonly do that are referred to as altruistic but I believe this is largely illusionary, at least from the point of view of the person performing the actions. The help given to others is generally not selfless but is truly part of an exchange but that one end is more tangible while the other is more emotional or socially rewarding. Usually the work to condition that person to enjoy being altruistic was already done prior by society, but the person is still motivated by their emotions and satisfaction, just as they would be for doing other things that people wouldn't view as altruistic.

I think it's important to recognize this because it confuses the issue when people assume altruism still exists even if those being altruistic aren't compensated. In other words, altruism is incorrectly seen as a one way transaction and because of this, altruism becomes devalued and rare. Yes, maybe some purely altruistic actions occur (it's not impossible), but they seem rare.

Quote by: Sandy Steve. The world is filled with altruism but most would rather not discuss what they do for others. I was raised by my grandparents who instilled many ways for us to payback some of the many things that were done for us. From the bombing of Pearl Harbor, my own Pacific Coast community volunteered to keep a close watch for enemy planes and ships that might slip into our area of California and hurt us. Even as children we did a lot of work for the American Red Cross and even the Girl Scouts who used to make items for our soldier overseas.

Yes, these would commonly be considered altruistic by most people but what made these possible? Your grandparents likely were instilled with patriotism and were taught to be proud to help others like this, so they offered to do this for their own personal satisfaction in doing something noble. But consider that under a different set of social morals, they might have preferred the satisfaction of running away and believing they were safer elsewhere.

Regarding something like Girl Scouts or Boy Scouts, children seem unlikely to try to sign up so they can make things for soldiers overseas. Instead, to put it under a miscroscope, they attend because of pressures placed upon them by their parents and encourage or discouragement by the leaders when a child assists in things or doesn't.

[quote]It set a habit in all of us to keep working for others who were in some kind of trouble and many of us have continued through our senior years.[quote]

Yes, but doesn't this require some realistic expectation that you truly might be helped in the future or at least a lot of social compensation or a strong internal source of satisfaction for doing this etc., if you're unlikely to ever see any of this assistance returned?

Being raised in a television free environment, many of did not get into the TV habit and we tend to socialize through our charity organizations. I have stayed with the Red Cross all these years and added years of hospice work. I'm in my mid 70s and many of the people in my neighborhood are involved in many organizations who build shelters for homeless people who for reason need our help.

That is very nice and I agree that it would be great to see people able to do this more but I believe that modern trends tend to place the value of these services on a declining track. As usual, I'm specifically referring to government policies.

Consider that many people who receive welfare (whether it be corporate or social) often view this as a right, and often think little about repaying this favor.

When government social assistance first came into play in the U.S., many people even mailed the checks back and wouldn't accept them or felt guity in taking these resources. There was a greater spirit of charity at that time, and people preferred to give instead of take. Now a good number of the people feel receiving such assistance is a right and something that justifies using laws forcefully against others in order to acquire, and in some cases without even hardly a thank you in exchange.

I believe you youngsters will grow into a desire for a retired life of altruistic actions.

I believe that might be the case. It does seem altruism tends to grow as you get older ... especially if you have children

These are not church affiliations although many do work hours at their local churches. Christians are too limited in their charities and we have found that at some time in one's life, help is needed no matter which God might be mentioned. I am an Atheist and will work with anyone in trouble. I'm involved in 6 separate organizations and am on the Board of Directors of two of them.

Well, again congratulations and I can't find any fault to doing this. Truly it would be nice to see more people able and willing to do this but it seems that the trend in many current social view aren't likely to assist this until the value of these are more fully appreciated and respected.

For example, you do these because of the personal satisfaction you receive for these actions. But how did you learn to be satisfied doing these? You likely were raised in an environment that encouraged and rewarded these actions (as it appears from your personal accounts). So truly you do receive compensation for your efforts, even if they be simply in social or emotional rewards though I assume you'd likely have some expectation that these favors might be physically returned as well, if you were in need yourself.

So, the point of this thread is really that, most common acts of altruism are incorrectly seen as one way and ignoring the positive feedback that should be given for altruism degrades the value of it and will likely continue to discourage it further.