"There is no such thing as altruism. Everyone is ultimately only interested in their own pleasure. Even those who appear altruistic are doing so because it make

"There is no such thing as altruism. Everyone is ultimately only interested in their own pleasure. Even those who appear altruistic are doing so because it makes them feel good. No one actually cares about anyone else." Caring is an emotion. Desiring good for someone else is an emotion. How do you know if you are feeling altruistic feelings? You feel them. Anyone who tells me that I don't feel something that I do is mistaken. There is an argument that the author probably meant to make, but didn't, that my altruism probably evolved as a way to increase my gene's likelihood of survival. That would have been a more interesting point. But even so, saying that evolution makes my actions non-altruistic is like telling me that I'm not really in love because love is just a way of passing on genes. Love may have evolved to help me pass on my genes, but that doesn't mean that what I'm feeling isn't love. Altruism may have the consequence of helping my tribe and my offspring survive, but that doesn't mean it isn't altruism.