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Altruism
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Altruism and selfishness, like free-will and determinism, seem to be polar opposites. Yet, as with free will and determinism (Dennett, 1984), the apparent incompatibility may be challenged by various forms of compatibility. From a biological viewpoint selfishness translates into survival value. Evolutionary biologists have been able to reconcile altruism with selfishness by showing how a biological structure mediating altruistic behavior could have evolved. (The next section will briefly summarize one such demonstration.) This structure is assumed to be more complex than ordinary mechanisms that mediate selfish behavior but in essence is no different from them. The gazelle that moves toward the lion (putting itself in danger but showing other gazelles where the lion is) may ... be seen as acting according to the same principles as the gazelle that takes a drink of water when it is thirsty.
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Altruism involves putting the interests of others above one’s own interests. It is altruism that forms the basis of the meaning of life itself, which is to live for others. People are not inevitably driven by self-interest. This can be seen just in the simple case of a mother putting her baby’s interests above her own, protecting him even if her own safety is threatened. It is seen every day when people risk their lives to rescue others. That is what makes us as human beings so special - we are willing to die for other members of our species, and many of us recognise that just one human life is worth more than all the material possessions in the world.
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Altruism is alternately a belief, a practice, a habit, or an ethical doctrine. Many cultures and religious traditions judge altruism to be virtuous. In Buddhismit is considered a fundamental property of human nature.
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Altruism is part of an ideology, but is ... a psychological manipulation. If accepted, it leads to psychological disorder. To give a sense of how it works, recall stories you’ve probably heard about going to Catholic schools before, say, 1970. It’s common to hear of cold, strange nuns who would walk slowly down rows of desks, periodically cracking some kid in the knuckles with a thick ruler. (I’m not painting all nuns in this way; it’s merely an analogy by way of an image). This is precisely how altruism works psychologically.
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Altruism ... appears eminently practical. Evolutionary biologists consider it critical to group survival, making the notion comprehensible to extraterrestrials (ETs) who would have, presumably, developed altruism themselves as a survival technique. Maybe. Heim wonders, “Would other groups have evolved without altruism or moved beyond it?” British writer C.S. Lewis, in his deeply moral science fiction trilogy -- Out of the Silent Planet, Perelandra, and That Hideous Strength -- envisioned pre-lapsarian or Eden-like worlds whose inhabitants practice true love without being aware of it.
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Altruism was entrusted by Vision New Media Group to redesign and execute the corporate website that portrays image, quality and reputation of the new media content giant in the broadcasting industry. [more]
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Altruism