Altruism and the Endurance of the Good

Bibliographic Data

ID12249761
AuthorsWilliam W Clohesy (University of Northern Iowa, corresponding author)
Year2000
Volume11
Issue3
Pages237-253
Publication date2000-09-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueVoluntas Revista Internacional de Filosofia (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 2179-3786 • E-ISSN: 1573-7888
PublisherSpringer Science+Business Media (PUBLISHER • DE)
DOI10.1023/a:1008923809507
OpenAlexW198032432
LanguageEN
Citations received9
References cited14

Egoism is a pervasive trait in modern market societies that encourages people to focus upon their own self-interest above all else. Third-sector organizations, by contrast, are frequently termed “altruistic.” This essay elucidates the meaning of “altruism “ as it applies to these organizations. Moral altruism means direct concern for another’s well being—whoever that person might be. This study rejects psychological egoism as a meaningful psychological theory, and ethical egoism as a coherent moral position; it discusses empirical studies of altruism in rescuers of Jews in Nazi-occupied Europe as proof against the former form of egoism and Kant’s moral theory against the latter. The essay then argues that altruism is a form of public action in Hannah Arendt’s sense of this term. The essay concludes that third-sector organizations are altruistic insofar as they engage in public action, thereby, treating beneficiaries with respect for their individuality

Action (physics · Altruism (biology · Environmental ethics · Epistemology · Ethical egoism · Meaning (existential · Sociology · Forgiveness and Related Behaviors · Grief, Bereavement, and Mental Health · Philosophy · Psychology · Religion, Society, and Development · Social Psychology

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