I think that's a very limited, not to mention deeply cynical, viewpoint. You're discounting the possibility that someone may perform an altruistic act for logi

I think that's a very limited, not to mention deeply cynical, viewpoint. You're discounting the possibility that someone may perform an altruistic act for logical reasons - for example, because they have calculated the cost of the act they are performing is small to them but of great benefit to the other person, or have decided from a dispassionate perspective that living in a better world is better for everyone and a good reason to perform altruistic acts occasionally. Even if we only consider altruistic acts that are performed because of emotion, I think it is far more common for acts to be performed to avoid negative emotions such as guilt or empathetic pain.