Does altruism exist? Does it matter?
A little debate with myself. This is really rough, and doesn’t go into much detail, but I wanted to try out this format for fun.
Can there ever be true altruism? And, as a follow-up question: Does it matter?
Do we start to the conversation at the first question, or do we just jump to the “who cares” part?
Who cares? Just start.
So, can there ever be true altruism?
No, it doesn’t matter how altruistic or selfless the intentions are, doing good things makes people feel better about themselves, or at least it makes them feel good chemically, so that in itself is the motivation for the act. Nobody ever does a nice thing purely for the sake of doing good. If there’s any kind of reward, then it is impossible to be truly altruistic.
I think you’re clinging to a purist definition of altruism. The fact that people feel good about being nice or kind or charitable, etc. doesn’t mean they aren’t doing those things for the sake of adding to the good of the world - making the world a better place. The good feelings are simply a nice side-benefit, rarely are they the prime motivator.
When I help a stranger move heavy things from their car, onto their porch, am I not doing good? Assuming I never tell anyone else about it, was that not a good act for the sake of the good? Helping others, simply to be of help, is a good thing — who cares if it makes me feel good about myself?!
Ok, well let’s look at recent trends on social media where people post supposedly nice acts, but are only doing it for online clout, an attempt to go viral, or a direct effort to make money from advertisers on their channel or something. The reality behind that supposed nice act is that they are manipulating their audiences’ enjoyment of seeing nice things, so the poster can gain in some way. Further, many of those nice acts are, in fact, not nice at all if you consider the larger context, or the future consequences of the act.
You’re going to have to cite specific examples, if you want to reference trends and instances of negative consequences.
Regardless, I think we need to change the question we’re trying to explore here. Instead of asking if there is such thing as a truly altruistic act, maybe we should be discussing if it even matters, really, if the motivation for performing, and then posting, kind acts is a good thing or not.
Ok, sure. People who are nice only in front of others (online or off) are not nice people. Those acts are self-serving, and do little to move the world into a better place.
I agree on your first point, but not on your second.
As you mentioned, there’s a trend on social media where people post kind acts; they might be videos, pictures, or stories. Personally, I don’t really care if those acts are genuine or if they’re purely meant to build up the ego of the one making the post, or if they are genuinely trying to be a good person — in the end, the good was done.
Further, when other people see those acts, then they themselves might want to do likewise. This would not only create more good acts, but would further contribute to an exponential growth of good acts — a culture where performing good acts is celebrated and encouraged.
Do you really want a world where people are walking up to strangers — with a phone stuck in their face — giving them a hug or $5 or something, then walking away, dismissing the subject, since their usefulness has passed?
The people in these videos are being manipulated into participating in another person’s self-promotion or personal ethics masturbation. I know there are many which are great, well done, and respect the participants; but there are far more — people who are influenced by the trending posts you referenced — who are inconsiderate and manipulative, and who don’t give a shit about the homeless person they just handed a blanket, or a Starbucks gift card, or whatever.
In the short-term, sure, there’s going to be a lot of that — people who are only trying to replicate what’s trendy and who don’t see the inherent good behind those acts. And yeah, there are going to be people who lack the basic judgement and respect of others to know what is and isn’t appropriate when performing acts for others — especially when doing so for strangers and — even more crucially — when filming it and posting it online. These are all valid criticisms, for sure.
That said, I still think the overall result is good. People do what they think are kind acts — or, at least what they think will be perceived as kind acts. The people directly involved in those acts, hopefully, benefit; the people who see the posts online might benefit from seeing how kind acts makes them feel better, and might motivate them to do likewise. Repeat.
More good acts are performed than if this online trend hadn’t existed, and it might result in a shift in the culture and values of those who are consuming that content.
I think you’re being naïve.
I think you’re being pessimistic.
I’m not a pessimist, I’m a realist.
That’s just what pessimists prefer to be called.
$@#@ you, how’s that?
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