Does True Altruism Exist

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According to philosophytalk.org, there are two types of altruism. Psychological altruism refers to actions carried out because of concern for others, and with no thought to one's own well-being. Biological altruism is behaviour which benefits the group, but not necessarily the individual.  I say no. Here is why.




Good deeds give us a sense of pride - often times when we help others there is a feeling of relief that comes along with it, from doing what we perceive as the right thing.

It prevents us from feeling guilty - in the same vein, if we do not perform a good deed, we can have a sense of guilt, or be afraid of the way in which others will perceive us.

Being good ensures our place in heaven - Many of us are religious, and believe that being a good person secures our place in heaven.

This is not to say that we should stop helping others or that there is something wrong with being proud of doing such. We are human, after all, and I think it would be impossible to prevent ourselves from feeling good about helping a less fortunate person or contributing to a charity. I also do not think that the majority of us consciously have thoughts of "I will feel very proud if I feed this child". So I would not necessarily categorise it as selfish.

However, if I am going purely by the definition of altruism, I have to say that true altruism does not exist.

This can be a very contentious conversation. Do you agree or disagree with me? Comment below and let me know.