Quote:
Originally posted by CanadianTeke
I don't think altruism exists. Everything we do, we do for personal gain. Self Satisfaction is in itself personal gain, it makes us feel good and while it may do good for others, there is still that personal satisfaction.
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Whoops, I think we fell into the fallacy of complex question here - let's use a regular ol' dicitonary definition of altruism here (from webster's):
Altruism: Unselfish concern for the well-being of others; selfless
(ps -
breathesgelatin, i'm sure you'll do well in class, but i don't think you really got the gist of the thread . . . all good though, an interesting read)
In this way, it is insignificant to the argument that one 'feels good' (self-satisfaction) when performing a beneficial act for another; they're not necessarily mutually exclusive.
(Drawing two unrelated points into a single proposition is the fallacy of complex question)
If we use a regular, everyday definition of altruism with regard to societal actions and norms, then of course it exists. You sort of strawman the argument by including personal gain, which realistically isn't a part of the equation for the type of altruism we're discussing.
If we use a biological definition, ie "performs actions beneficial for the group but harmful to the self", we start to find it harder to see examples of altruistic behavior (btw, well-put Billy) . . . but we're not talking about evolutionary benefits of altruism, we're discussing whether people can be altruistic in everyday life.
PS -
Librasoul - I think you're making the same mistake in comparison . . . it's ok, you're still cool
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