Reciprocal altruism

states that altruism occurs as a result of an expectation of a future benefit to the alter-centric views which attribute acts of altruism to biology. As Khalil outlines in the article the various perspectives laid out explain a portion of altruistic behavior, however, fall short in offering a complete explanation. Khalil asserts that other alternatives should be explored in order to get a better sense of what altruism is. While it is difficult to point to one explanation of altruism over the…

1. Introduction Behavioral game theory has been used extensively in experimental research, focussing on altruism, fairness and cooperation (see Camerer, 2003). Game theory assumes that people behave rationally when making decisions and in order to maximise personal gain, people should behave selfishly when allocating resources. However, this is not always the case as people take the receiver’s payoffs into account, as well as their own (Fehr & Fischbacher, 2003). Game theory enables us to test…

theories of Ayn Rand on altruism, James Rachels’ view psychological egoism and Immanuel Kant’s categorical imperative in order to propose a moral theory on how we ought to behave both individually and as a society. As a frame of reference, I will first present a case on why psychological egoism applies to humans which will tie in with both individual and global morality. In the same way, I will state reasons why I believe Rand was precise in pointing out the fact that altruism is arbitrary but…

receiving pain. Although the results could not provide evidence that altruism is either innate or learned through experiences, Crockett discusses how in previous research there has been evidence that 3-month old infants showed preference for helpful looking characters rather than harmful looking ones. This suggests that altruism and the desire to be helpful to others may be an inherent quality in humans. As touched upon earlier, altruism may somewhat be motivated bythe need to feel good about…

only worried about arriving somewhere on time rather than the safety of others. Although some presume human nature to be inherently good, humans are inherently evil because they are ultimately selfish. Many argue that humans are inherently good. Altruism, or selflessness, is the core of goodness in humanity. Humans possess traits such as kindness, empathy, and compassion. These features support the argument that human nature is ultimately good. For example, in the novel Lord of the Flies,…

It is human nature to find out who they really are; during this process, people’s minds and behaviors are changing over time. In the current generation, the idea of individualism plays a dominant role, which leads the idea of selflessness and helping others almost gone. In the past, people would look out for others, but now, people only care about themselves. Being selflessness is the opposite side of being individualism; selflessness is also introduced as a way of realizing that everything is…

Ayn Rand and Martin Luther King, Jr. were similar in the ways of being talented writers, seeing value in each man and denouncing racism but, they were very different in every other aspect of life such as, each having their own important view of altruism, within their philosophies. Firstly, Ayn Rand and Martin Luther King,…

“goal-seeking entities” (25), or individuals who work together toward helping their group. He argues that “the ‘natural state’ of goal-seeking entities is to act on Kantian, altruistic policies and that egoism is much harder to account for than is altruism” (25). He explains the difference between a super individual, a group of similar individuals, and the individual him/herself. Oldenquist states that the super individual is selfish, but the individuals themselves who work toward improving the…

Providing incentives promotes others to support charity, benefitting both sides, and working toward the greater good of humanity. In fact, many companies, and even our own government, give some form of incentive when performing a charitable act, whether it be tax refunds, prizes, etc, after all, isn’t the overall goal to help others? As humans, we are constantly dwelling on the good we could do for ourselves, regardless of others opinions, feelings, or will of the people as a whole. Therefore…

“Who Really Cares: The surprising truth about compassionate conservation” surrounds itself about charity, which comes from the Latin word “caritas”, which means “affection.” I didn’t know that charity had so many in depth meanings until reading this book. Arthur Brooks associate his definition of charity to be monetary and non-monetary, and has to be consensual and beneficial. Nevertheless, I agree with his associations. I feel that charity does not have to solely about giving money, more of…