re: Simple Question concerning altruism

Then there is Mother Teresa

Of course it is possible. Many of the things I'm most proud of have been for the service of others alone. However...if one does something solely for making oneself feel good, is it not also a selfish act?

There is a fascinating interview between Phil Donahue and Ayn Rand where she admits she loves to do things for the benefit of her husband and in service of him alone. She justifies her acts because she said she WANTED to do them. In other words she can justify her own acts of selflessness but not others. We are, as ever, a paradox. Is human kindness an illusion? I say not, but neither does it exist apart from self gain in some way.

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What's the personal benefit to jumping on a grenade?

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A boat load of virgins according to our sandy brothers to the east

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Altruism is a dangerous farce.

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How so?

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Is it really even possible to do something and it be genuinely altruistic?

I am leaning toward it not being possible.

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It is essentially impossible for an act to be truly altruistic since the actor is almost always going to get something positive out of it.

Raising kids is one of the worst examples since a person usually gets more joy out of that than anything else in life that they do.

There has been enough written about this "Friday night altered state" question to keep one busy for the rest of their life. IMO there are circumstances where true altruism could exist but the likelihood of it happening is extremely low to the point that it may never have occurred.

Al Truism is my next door neighbor. Really nice guy who likes to help others.

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hero

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personal glory

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gratification

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The dead experience none of this. The question remains unanswered.

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You are projecting.

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You internet psychologists are amusing. True altruism doesn't exist, there are only self-serving fake altruists. Consider all the virtue-signaling dipshits that populate cancel culture and social media. Every one of them would swear that they only want the best for you. Watch how fast that flips when you disagree or refuse to validate them.

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I once once volunteered to undergo a compatibility test for a bone marrow transplant for the young daughter of a fellow pilot at work, didn't know him or his kid, I was just young, single, healthy, and wanted to help

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Some folks will tell you you weren't truly being altruistic, you were playing the long game knowing down the road you'd have an opportunity to get some e-credit on TD by telling us about it.

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The dead experience none of this. The question remains unanswered.

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This. Great point