re: Simple Question concerning altruism

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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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It's one of those philosophical black holes that probably won't ever be answered definitively. Sort of like freedom of will. We feel like it exists, but we lack the tools to measure and prove it empirically, one way or the other. In the bone marrow example, I think that's a pretty strong altruistic act but that doesn't mean that no element of self-interest exists in it.

Another point I wonder about is how much awareness plays into the formula of "was it altruism or not". If you aren't ever consciously aware of the possible benefit to yourself in performing some act of altruism, does that make it more altruistic? I don't know... I'm not high enough for this right now, maybe.

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

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This. Great point

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Just to play devil's advocate...

Rather than jumping on a grenade, what if we change the example to Kamikaze pilots flying their planes into enemy crafts? Granted, some of them were coerced, but some of them seemed to genuinely believe that it was an extremely honorable act.

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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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yep, been waiting almost 35 years to share this

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yep, been waiting almost 35 years to share this

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The payoff has to be feel really good though.

this headline is an oxymoron. nothing simple about altruism. to truly know another's intentions is impossible. it's rare enough to be honest about your own intentions.

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

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Easily no. Only God could.

We aren’t capable. Our soul curves inward always. Even if just a little bit.