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The ancients thought a lot about what makes a human "good", and they came up with the notion of virtues[1]. If I'm not mistaken, none of them was particularly

The ancients thought a lot about what makes a human "good", and they came up with the notion of virtues[1]. If I'm not mistaken, none of them was particularly oriented towards altruism. It seems to me altruism was very much introduced by Christianism. I vaguely recall that Nietzsche analyzed the subject in details, for instance in ''On the Genealogy of Morality''[2]. Now, I'm not saying one of this point of view is right and the other is wrong, but at the very least there is a debate to have. Therefore it seems presumptuous to me to call one of them "basic humanity". Philosophy, or in the present case psychology, should use accurate words as much as possible. IMHO "Basic humanity" is not satisfactory in that regard. 1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virtue https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virtue 2. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/On_the_Genealogy_of_Morality https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/On_the_Genealogy_of_Morality

hyperpape 9y ago
I believe that in psychology and evolutionary biology, altruism can be used for a wide variety of pro-social behaviors that are displayed in cases where there is no direct benefit to the individual acting. Punishing a murderer who killed someone who is not a family member counts as altruism in that sense. So the Greeks certainly praised altruism in that sense, though there's a lot more to be said than that. One aspect of what you say seems correct. Christianity expanded the circle of the people you owed altruism. (This isn't to speak up for this article, which seems really vague/content-free).
- BatFastard 9y ago
  Psychology today has never been known for its in depth analysis.
quickben 9y ago
They are valid points, but in his case, after a PhD and 3 decades working with people, the phrase ' basic humanity' is a lot more memorable than, '12 things that will define you: here they are'. At some point, the knowledge is too dry unless transferred and having impact. People that want to change will look into what basic human virtues are, and more. The rest will remain adamant no matter how appealing the approach is. Sometimes professionals sum up things for the audience. The more professional they are, and the less time they have, the more one hears : maybe, most likely, etc. It's not that they don't evaluate the cases, it's the realization that a complete educative list will bore out the audience, and they will miss other, more basic, points.
- deleted 9y ago
  [deleted]
cma 9y ago
Courage is a traditional virtue and isn't completely synonymous with altruism, but lots of traditional courage stories have a more or less altruistic core.

hyperpape 9y ago

I believe that in psychology and evolutionary biology, altruism can be used for a wide variety of pro-social behaviors that are displayed in cases where there is no direct benefit to the individual acting. Punishing a murderer who killed someone who is not a family member counts as altruism in that sense. So the Greeks certainly praised altruism in that sense, though there's a lot more to be said than that. One aspect of what you say seems correct. Christianity expanded the circle of the people you owed altruism. (This isn't to speak up for this article, which seems really vague/content-free).

BatFastard 9y ago
Psychology today has never been known for its in depth analysis.

quickben 9y ago

They are valid points, but in his case, after a PhD and 3 decades working with people, the phrase ' basic humanity' is a lot more memorable than, '12 things that will define you: here they are'. At some point, the knowledge is too dry unless transferred and having impact. People that want to change will look into what basic human virtues are, and more. The rest will remain adamant no matter how appealing the approach is. Sometimes professionals sum up things for the audience. The more professional they are, and the less time they have, the more one hears : maybe, most likely, etc. It's not that they don't evaluate the cases, it's the realization that a complete educative list will bore out the audience, and they will miss other, more basic, points.

deleted 9y ago
[deleted]

cma 9y ago

Courage is a traditional virtue and isn't completely synonymous with altruism, but lots of traditional courage stories have a more or less altruistic core.