Does true altruism exist?

True altruism is a nebulous term. Good for the sake of itself, I suppose.

No, I don't think so, BUT, and this is a huge but, there is a feeling of being positive and having a positive impact on things. A spirit, to the benefit of all parties. If by helping someone, benefiting them, I reinforce my world view that real good exists in the world, and that's heartening... that shouldn't be cast as "ulterior" or somehow impure. You might take from it a sense of self-satisfaction, but still that satisfaction comes from contributing to something you feel means something, good.

I just mean, human psychology is built to operate on a sense of motivation, and that can never be completely unrelated to a sense of self... BUT, when you are contributing to something good and take a positive feeling away from that... it is not impure. Does pure altruism exist.. I would say definitely... does true altruism exist? If that means completely detached from a sense of self, I'd say no.

There must be something called "true altruism" because there is a question here asking about it. What I'm trying to point out is the fact that your question itself presupposes the existence (or some would even say, "brings into existence") this "thing."

So, I would say that 'true altruism' does indeed "exist" as part of the Husserlian structures of the 'ideal, logical, and pure'; HOWEVER, like these structures, humans have no access to them. In short, "true altruism" is an idealized form set up as a framework to compare and contrast actions to, but NO human is capable (by the very nature of being human as well as the idealized form of "true altruism") of attaining "true altruism."

I believe true altruism exists.

Yesterday, I heard a report of a pod of dolphins that helped move a whale off the beach and back into the sea.

Porpoises have been known to fend off shark attacks on humans and stay with humans until help arrives.

Think of a dog - they LIVE for their masters.

Among humans, many of us do things for our fellow man and animals simply for the purpose of making the other being feel better. Sometimes, the act disadvantages us, but we do it again when the opportunity arises.

As long as the focus is on helping the other being, it's altruism.

It's a pretty depressing view...but no, I don't think that any one action really is altruistic, because if you do something good, you are getting pleasure for it--in SOME way--even if you don't want to do it, and don't have a good time, in the end you will still congratulate yourself and say "I did a good thing."

Even someone like Mother Theresa. She did good things for a number of reasons, but the main reason was because she believe it was her calling--it was her duty to God and humankind. So by doing good things, she was fulfilling a duty--which is doing something good for yourself too.

NOT TO SAY that a selfish act makes it a bad act...something can still be moral and good even if you derive pleasure from it, or do it simply to feel good in the end.

On altruism I advise reading Kant's writing simply by fact he had an quite exciting ideology on that concept. in spite of the incontrovertible fact that, i've got faith interior the capability of altruism, simply by fact if all of us had it, then the international might actually be a extra efficient place... yet it fairly is my 'perfected' imaginative and prescient of the international, and actual, regrettably, there are continuously ulterior reasons. Ulterior reasons are very no longer consumer-friendly to eliminate in human beings, and whilst i attempt to be an altruist, as a remember of fact that I continuously discover an ulterior purpose to my "selfless movements" and that for the time of itself is typically on the basis of corruption in each experience of the observe. case in point, think of which you spot somebody drowning interior the sea. What might you do? bounce to save them, call for help, watch them drown. frequently, human beings might say (in the event that they might swim) that they might bounce to save them yet is their determination consistent with selflessness or a theory on the lower back of their innovations that, wow, they saved a existence (in the event that they save the guy, it fairly is). in fact, might the solid feeling you adventure while saving that individual data that finally you had an ulterior purpose? in case you have been a real altruist, would not you experience your action as thoroughly everyday, if it fairly is smart? What with regard to the guy who won't be in a position to swim and yet he nonetheless plunges interior the water to objective and save that individual drowning. might that be altruism or stupidity? As human beings, we've a lot of emotions and conflicting innovations that come into play that authentic altruism is impossible, yet while it occurs, that is a uncommon element. And nonetheless I see that rarety simply by fact the only thank you to make the international a extra efficient place, yet then, i'm prevalent for being an idealist :)

True altruism exists in humans' mind.

a friend of mine DIED saving 2 other people.sounds like altruism 2 me !!!!!!!!! all he got out of it was a grave,at a young age.(no,he wasnt a cop,fireman or rescue worker,he just did it.he was there,and he acted)

Yes, but a lot of people aren't capable of it. We have been indoctrinated with capitalism and individualism and self-righteousness and thus selfishness.

No, every thing has a motive or a cause, even if it is not known.

It varies in proportion. But you cannot say that it does not exist.