Altruism is an Illusion
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ByVexen Crabtree2006 Jan 14
(Last Modified:2014 Aug 26)
Parent page:Science and Truth Versus Mass Confusion
Altruism is the selfless helping of others. However, biologists, philosophers, sociologists and psychologists have been telling us for some time that there is no such thing as altruism and imply that it is self-interest and not actually the benevolent helping of others..
1. Universal Egoism: Altruism is Self Interest
Us Human Beings do not understand our own social behaviour. Sociological investigation ordinarily uncovers reasons for peoples' good behaviour that they themselves do not know. Because of this, so-called altruism is a "socially complex" behaviour. Sometimes people knowingly do good deeds for the benefit of themselves, but most of the time the underlying selfish motivation is a mystery to the benefactor.
Biologists, philosophers, psychologists and sociologists have all held that "altruism" is never what it seems. That all apparently selfless acts are self-centered is known in the sciences as 'universal egoism', which according to the prominent psychologist Richard Gross, "is the dominant ethos in social science including psychology. [...] Sociobiologists consider that acts of apparent altruism turn out to be acts of selfishness in disguise". There is such agreement amongst psychologists and specialists that it seems "altruism is an impossibility"1.
This is not purely a modern revelation. In 1785 the moral philosopher Immanuel Kant argued that even if we cannot find any ulterior motives after a careful examination of the altruistic act, "we cannot from this infer with certainty that it was not really some secret impulse of self-love, under the false appearance of duty, that was the actual determining cause of the will. We like then to flatter ourselves by falsely taking credit for a more noble motive'2. He further asserts that even amongst those people who are of a "sympathetic constitution" and who "find a pleasure in spreading joy around them" that this is not amoral goodnessthat impels them. Their intrinsic nature compels them, so that this itself does not denote altruism, but mere cause and effect3.
If altruism is an illusion, and the word is merely a label that covers peoples' confusion over why they behave in a good way, then what are the causes of behaviour that seems selfless? A few of the following are looked at in more detail below:
- Neurochemical Rewards: The feel-good factor that comes with doing social good results from our evolved genetic program.
- Personal Pride: A person wants to feel good and justify themselves in their thinking of themselves as good, so that by helping others they create their own positive self-identity
- The Social Reward: A sometimes secret desire to be seen as good by others (The Goodguy Badge)
- The Want of Power Over Others: To help others is to affirm ones' own sense of power and control…
3. Internal Reasons10
3.1. Distress, Self-Esteem and Guilt10
We help others for personal, internal reasons. These reasons have been studied by sociologists. David Myers reports in "Social Psychology" that noticing others' anguish causes ourselves to become distressed. One way to relieve it is to help the person. "Indeed, Dennis Krebs (1975) found that Harvard University men whose physiological responses and self-reports revealed the most distress in response to another's distress also gave the most help to the person"11.
- We help others to relieve our own physiological distress upon witnessing their predicament.
- We help others to give ourselves self-esteem: We feel useful and good when we help others.
The reason that these biological impulses can be satisfied by helping someone is that we are programmed genetically to respond in that way, in common with other social species. "Nearly all blood donors in Jane Piliavin's research agreed that giving blood 'makes you feel good about yourself' and 'gives you a feeling of self-satisfaction'"11.
Guilt is one of the more persistent emotions. Most cultures have developed ritualistic and proscribed methods of publicly dealing with guilt, and it certainly remains one of the biggest motives for doinggoodacts: We feel less guilty after doing something good, even if the deed isn't related to the original misdeed. In this way, many good deeds go towards building up a 'karma' against our guilt. Studies have shown that people who have recently done something wrong devote more time, more readily, to helping others12. This personal balancing of guilt and good deeds can easily be subconscious, influencing us without us realizing.
“Abraham Lincoln illustrated the philosophical issue in a conversation with another passenger in a horse-drawn coach. After Lincoln argued that selfishness prompts all good deeds, he noticed a sow making a terrible noise. Her piglets had gotten into a pond and were in danger of drowning. Lincoln called the coach to a halt, jumped out, ran back, and lifted the little pigs to safety. Upon his return, his companion remarked, "Now, Abe, where does selfishness come in on this little episode?" "Why, bless your soul, Ed, that was the very essence of selfishness. I should have no peace of mind all day had I gone and left that suffering old sow worrying over those pigs.”
"Social Psychology" by David Myers (199
Name:______Block:______
Psychological Altruism Questions:
- What is “egoism” and why may it be responsible for altruistic behavior?
- What role does distress, self-esteem, and guilt play in the chances of a person acting altruistically?
- Does Altruism exist? Why or why not?
- Write a 1-3 page extended response in which you answer the following question:
Patrick was not genetically related to the woman he rescued from the on-coming train. He acted altruistically, because he risked his own life to save a stranger. How can you explain this phenomena if biological altruism does not explain it. (Remember to define altruism, and biological altruism, and explain why biological theories cannot explain the behavior in this case.)