-Removed-I deny that I look after my son out of selfishness. I do not deny that I look after him out of self interest, but where 'self interest' is 'doing what I want to do'. But to do what I do not want to do would be madness and I would not call that altruism.
A man who looses his wallet that is subsequently picked up and kept by someone else is not being altruistic.
-Removed-No problem, I should have given the source with the quote.
For me, 'love and putting others first' is altruism. I wouldn't make it any more complicated than that. People do sometimes act selflessly. - Sure, there are also altruistic acts that are motivated on some level by self interest, but i don't think this is always the case.
I might even claim that animals can be altruistic, but fear I would end up weakening my position. 🙂 (There is youtube footage somewhere of a bird feeding bread to fish with no attempt to catch them).
Originally posted by Ghost of a DukeIf parental care is altruism then you won't need to look for inter-species examples.
I might even claim that animals can be altruistic, but fear I would end up weakening my position. 🙂 (There is youtube footage somewhere of a bird feeding bread to fish with no attempt to catch them).
-Removed-Suppose someone was in the habit of behaving altruistically, through years of working in a soup kitchen as a volunteer say, so that although the initial motivation may well have been self-serving, the current motivation is just habit.
With regard to the question FMF posed, if a behaviour is possible it's natural. Whether an instance is exhibited by any particular person depends on all sorts of factors.