Altruism
Altruism denotes selfless thinking and action for the good of others – even when it costs one something oneself. It is the classic counter-term to egoism and a key theme in philosophy, anthropology, psychology, economics and sociology.
Origin: Auguste Comte
The word altruisme was coined in 1851 by the French philosopher Auguste Comte, after his motto “vivre pour autrui” (to live for others); he is also the name-giver of sociology. More: Altruism in Comte.
An interdisciplinary field
Altruism is researched today in many disciplines – most visibly in economics and (social) psychology, while sociology, from which the term stems, carries much of its work under headings such as volunteering, solidarity or cooperation. How philosophy, anthropology, social psychology, economics and sociology explain helping, and what they show together, is summarised in the overview Altruism in five disciplines.
Empirical work instead of theory?
Over the last decades the discourse has shifted markedly towards empirical research (experiments, data collection), while the theoretical foundational work – especially in sociology – has declined. From our point of view this is ambivalent: empirical work sharpens the picture, yet without theoretical placement the term threatens to lose its depth. This observation stands at the centre of the discourse analysis linked here.
In depth
A detailed, source-based analysis of the altruism discourse (analysis of disciplines and journals 1990–2013, methodology) is found in the standpoint The Development of the Discourse by Tobias O. R. Alke – an excerpt from his work Ausgewählte Perspektiven des Altruismus (2017).
Frequently asked questions
What is altruism?
Altruism denotes selfless thinking and action for the good of others – often even when it costs one something oneself. It counts as the counter-term to egoism.
Where does the term altruism come from?
The French philosopher Auguste Comte coined the word 'altruisme' in 1851 (formed from French 'autrui', the other; Latin alter) – in the sense of 'vivre pour autrui', to live for others. Comte also gave sociology its name; more in the entry 'Altruism in Comte'.
What is altruistic punishment?
A concept from experimental economics (Fehr & Gächter, 2002): people punish rule-violations even when the punishment brings them disadvantages themselves. This supports cooperation in groups – but can also turn into social pressure and conformity.
Is altruism always selfless?
That is disputed. Evolutionary and economic theories read many 'altruistic' actions as advantageous in the long term (reciprocity, kin help), while philosophy asks after genuine, motivationally selfless altruism.
Change history · last updated on
- — Overview of the disciplines moved to a separate page, “Altruism in five disciplines” (in German).
- — Account of Comte checked against the original texts and made more precise; link to the new entry “Altruism in Comte” (in German).
- — Section on evolution stated more precisely (de Waal, Tomasello); social psychology added (Batson, Bierhoff).
- — Clarified how sociology contributes to the topic: much of its work appears under headings such as volunteering, solidarity or cooperation.
- — Added Thomas Nagel’s answer to the philosophical question of genuine altruism: altruism grounded in reason, not in feeling.
- — Address of this entry localised: it now carries the English term instead of the German one. The old address redirects.
Sources
- Auguste Comte: Système de politique positive, Bd. I (1851) – Erstbeleg von „altruisme“ und „vivre pour autrui“; „sociologie“ seit dem Cours de philosophie positive, Bd. IV (1839). Bd. I bei archive.org
- Ernst Fehr & Simon Gächter: Altruistic punishment in humans. In: Nature 415 (2002), 137–140. doi.org/10.1038/415137a
- Jane A. Piliavin & Hong-Wen Charng: Altruism: A Review of Recent Theory and Research. In: Annual Review of Sociology 16 (1990), 27–65. doi.org/10.1146/annurev.so.16.080190.000331
- Thomas Nagel: Die Möglichkeit des Altruismus (2. Aufl. 2005). Berlin/Wien: Philo.
- Frans de Waal (Hrsg.): Primaten und Philosophen. Wie die Evolution die Moral hervorbrachte (2008). München: Hanser.
- Michael Tomasello: Warum wir kooperieren (2010). Berlin: Suhrkamp.
- Marcel Mauss: Die Gabe. Form und Funktion des Austauschs in archaischen Gesellschaften (1990). Frankfurt/M.: Suhrkamp.
- Tobias O. R. Alke: Ausgewählte Perspektiven des Altruismus. Kyborg Institut und Verlag, 2017. ISBN 978-3-96104-027-8. Eintrag Deutsche Nationalbibliothek
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