The conception and maintenance of civilizations answers this question with a resounding no. Civilization is a survival mechanism. Pure altruism is unattainable. The closest humans could come to pure altruism would be act of animity, but even these are questionable as the person who acted still has some knowledge as to what occurred. The knowledge of having done something "good" or "beneficial", makes true altruism impossible because …show more content…
They may or may not feel good based on the reaction of the civilization which they inhabit. Then there is the recipient of the action. This reaction can be observed on several levels, depending on who the altruist is and who their target is. The target, through rules and regulation set up by the civilized society, must then act accordingly. The target may then be guilted into duplicating this behavior. Others who may or may not wish to receive the benefits of being an altruist in their society also model the behavior. By this means the survival of man is