In your team, please respond to this particular question.
Are people really capable of altruistic (non-self-interested) behavior?
Share with the rest your view on the above.
Regards.
7 comments:
Anonymous
said...
No, people are not capable of altruistic behaviour. Everything anyone does is, to put it simply, to avoid pain and gain pleasure.
Why do humans do good deeds to help others? Probably to give them some self satisfaction or maybe they think a higher power would reward them for being kind. Although it cannot be denied that helping another person without immediate materialistic self gain is good, I still do not believe that the act is altruistic because the 'helper' probably did it so that he/she would not feel guilty(to avoid pain), or as I mentioned above, to gain some satisfaction (to gain pleasure).
Avoiding pain and gaining pleasure is the natural instinct of every life form. Altruistic behaviour is unachievable.
If I were to define altruistic behaviour as selfless concern or concerned more with the needs and wishes of others than with one's own for the well-being of others, I might probably disagree with what anonymous said.
As mentioned in my previous statement, what I do understand is that we are putting others' needs as a higher priority than our needs. You might say that some are just helping out because they want to gain pleasure or avoid pain, as mentioned by anonymous. However, that was out of their consciousness that they were doing so and still, I believe, when helping others, they are thinking of those who are in pain, suffering and desperate for assistance. Their main intention at that moment is just to reduce their pain and to be with them to comfort their hearts. They still focus on lending a hand to those needy, without actually thinking of what they would achieve at the end of the day.
So, I still believe in those who are capable of altruistic behaviour even though it’s rare to get or find such a person with such wonderful value in heart. Let’s just hope that more will be instilled with such value. =)
I just to share an example of a person with an altruistic behaviour that I found recently.
A friend of ours Ling Peng Lung, has helped us (Michael, Sheah Yih and me) during our 'sick' period. Both Sheah Yih and Michael's condidtion were worse than mine. Thus, I'm still conscious of what is happening and able to record this down.
Sheah Yih is now back in Brunei with his family after getting better compare to the night before. As for Michael, his condition got worse after Sheah Yih has left. So, we were worried about his condition and has a friend of his to send him to the hospital after a night of pain. However, things were not getting better. So, we decided to hang in with him for a night and see how's his condition.
Peng Lung was aware of the condition and he actually stayed back that night just to look after Michael. I was impressed by his action. He even bought some bottles of water and a few items from a shop nearby for Michael. I overheard from my another housemate, George that they actually did a prayer together hoping for three of us, including me to get better soon. I was touched by what he did for us.
Early in the morning, he even cooked us some porridge for breakfast and drove Michael and our other housemate, Boon Kiat to university this morning for their accounting exam. He is indeed an impressive person and I really respect and appreciate for what he has done for us. Even though he might simply be doing this to avoid pain, but at that moment I'm sure he was thinking of helping us out and lending us a hand. Thinking that he's heavy with his workload from Curtin, he's still willing to help and spend time with us, I salute him for his action!
Yeah!! Let's open a bottle of champagne for Peng Lung. Sure, someone is capable of altruistic behaviour if given the right upbringing or principles that drives them to be selflessness, be it customs or religion. They believe in rewards from their deity or karma such as the Golden rule.
But are people capable of altruistic behaviour naturally? Perhaps not
3Yeah, I do agree with gwar on that point but I disagree with what he said in the last part. It is true that most people can be capable of altruistic behaviour after certain experiences they went through or principles they have learnt. Having experienced the same pain, they want to help others to avoid that pain. Having experienced the chance of being save, they want others to be given that oppurtunity too. Perhaps it's almost similar to what anonymous has said in the first place, he or she is just doing that to avoid pain or to gain pleasure.
However, according to the definition of altruism I have found in moral lecture notes - means not strictly self-interested, but includes in its goal the interests of others as well. In this context, it means it would be alright to think of yourself but the interest of others are to be prioritized first.
Saying that people are not capable of altruistic behaviour naturally, that might be wrong. Naturally means automatically or unconsciously where you do not know the true intention of doing it. Just like when you touch a hot pan, your hand will naturally wanted to be removed from that pan. It is quite common to see people being altruism in the past. They thought of their neighbours when harvesting fruits or vegetables in their farm. They thought of buying souvenirs for their friends when travelling in a distant place.
I remember the time when I helped a girl from her fall into the drain. It occured so sudden that I don't even know why is my hand grabbing hers. It's just like my hand went there automatically without any thoughts through my mind. I didn't do it to avoid her from crying from her fall (to avoid pain) or to get a kiss or hug from the girl I rescued (to gain pleasure). After that incident, I keep thinking how and why, but I figure that may be I just wanted to give her a hand to bring her up.
Anyway, I still believe that people might be capable of altruistic behaviour naturally given that they have the right attitude and principle.
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7 comments:
No, people are not capable of altruistic behaviour. Everything anyone does is, to put it simply, to avoid pain and gain pleasure.
Why do humans do good deeds to help others? Probably to give them some self satisfaction or maybe they think a higher power would reward them for being kind. Although it cannot be denied that helping another person without immediate materialistic self gain is good, I still do not believe that the act is altruistic because the 'helper' probably did it so that he/she would not feel guilty(to avoid pain), or as I mentioned above, to gain some satisfaction (to gain pleasure).
Avoiding pain and gaining pleasure is the natural instinct of every life form. Altruistic behaviour is unachievable.
hello
If I were to define altruistic behaviour as selfless concern or concerned more with the needs and wishes of others than with one's own for the well-being of others, I might probably disagree with what anonymous said.
As mentioned in my previous statement, what I do understand is that we are putting others' needs as a higher priority than our needs. You might say that some are just helping out because they want to gain pleasure or avoid pain, as mentioned by anonymous. However, that was out of their consciousness that they were doing so and still, I believe, when helping others, they are thinking of those who are in pain, suffering and desperate for assistance. Their main intention at that moment is just to reduce their pain and to be with them to comfort their hearts. They still focus on lending a hand to those needy, without actually thinking of what they would achieve at the end of the day.
So, I still believe in those who are capable of altruistic behaviour even though it’s rare to get or find such a person with such wonderful value in heart. Let’s just hope that more will be instilled with such value. =)
I just to share an example of a person with an altruistic behaviour that I found recently.
A friend of ours Ling Peng Lung, has helped us (Michael, Sheah Yih and me) during our 'sick' period. Both Sheah Yih and Michael's condidtion were worse than mine. Thus, I'm still conscious of what is happening and able to record this down.
Sheah Yih is now back in Brunei with his family after getting better compare to the night before. As for Michael, his condition got worse after Sheah Yih has left. So, we were worried about his condition and has a friend of his to send him to the hospital after a night of pain. However, things were not getting better. So, we decided to hang in with him for a night and see how's his condition.
Peng Lung was aware of the condition and he actually stayed back that night just to look after Michael. I was impressed by his action. He even bought some bottles of water and a few items from a shop nearby for Michael. I overheard from my another housemate, George that they actually did a prayer together hoping for three of us, including me to get better soon. I was touched by what he did for us.
Early in the morning, he even cooked us some porridge for breakfast and drove Michael and our other housemate, Boon Kiat to university this morning for their accounting exam. He is indeed an impressive person and I really respect and appreciate for what he has done for us. Even though he might simply be doing this to avoid pain, but at that moment I'm sure he was thinking of helping us out and lending us a hand. Thinking that he's heavy with his workload from Curtin, he's still willing to help and spend time with us, I salute him for his action!
Yeah!! Let's open a bottle of champagne for Peng Lung. Sure, someone is capable of altruistic behaviour if given the right upbringing or principles that drives them to be selflessness, be it customs or religion. They believe in rewards from their deity or karma such as the Golden rule.
But are people capable of altruistic behaviour naturally? Perhaps not
3Yeah, I do agree with gwar on that point but I disagree with what he said in the last part. It is true that most people can be capable of altruistic behaviour after certain experiences they went through or principles they have learnt. Having experienced the same pain, they want to help others to avoid that pain. Having experienced the chance of being save, they want others to be given that oppurtunity too. Perhaps it's almost similar to what anonymous has said in the first place, he or she is just doing that to avoid pain or to gain pleasure.
However, according to the definition of altruism I have found in moral lecture notes - means not strictly self-interested, but includes in its goal the interests of others as well. In this context, it means it would be alright to think of yourself but the interest of others are to be prioritized first.
Saying that people are not capable of altruistic behaviour naturally, that might be wrong. Naturally means automatically or unconsciously where you do not know the true intention of doing it. Just like when you touch a hot pan, your hand will naturally wanted to be removed from that pan. It is quite common to see people being altruism in the past. They thought of their neighbours when harvesting fruits or vegetables in their farm. They thought of buying souvenirs for their friends when travelling in a distant place.
I remember the time when I helped a girl from her fall into the drain. It occured so sudden that I don't even know why is my hand grabbing hers. It's just like my hand went there automatically without any thoughts through my mind. I didn't do it to avoid her from crying from her fall (to avoid pain) or to get a kiss or hug from the girl I rescued (to gain pleasure). After that incident, I keep thinking how and why, but I figure that may be I just wanted to give her a hand to bring her up.
Anyway, I still believe that people might be capable of altruistic behaviour naturally given that they have the right attitude and principle.
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