Are Humans Ever Truly Altruistic?

Selflessness, selfullness, and the concept of generosity

Photo by Tim Marshall on Unsplash

Altruism is the idea that we need to have concern for the happiness of others, resulting in a higher quality of life both material, mental, emotional, and spiritual. It is a traditional virtue in many cultures and a core aspect of various religious traditions and secular worldviews, though the concept of “others” toward whom concern should be directed can vary among cultures and religions. In an extreme case, altruism may become a synonym of selflessness, which is the opposite of selfishness.

Altruism in biological observations in field populations of the day organisms is an individual performing an action which is at a cost to themselves (e.g., pleasure and quality of life, time, probability of survival or reproduction), but benefits, either directly or indirectly, another individual, without the expectation of reciprocity or compensation for that action. Another definition for altruism is behaviors and actions, the goal of which is to enhance the welfare of another person in the absence of any personal benefits to be gained or any external rewards. It might be said that the opposite of altruism is a spiteful action that harms another with no self-benefit.

Altruism is not the same as having feelings of loyalty. This is because, loyalty is predicated upon social relationships…