Selfishness And Altruism Essay

The question of whether human beings are self-interested or potential for altruism have been a significant subject of concern to the philosophers for quite a long time now. While some philosophers particularly the modern Neo-Darwinian perceive human beings to be principally selfish, other philosophers perceive human beings potential for altruism (Franklin 33). From the arguments put forward in support of the two differing ends, I think human beings embrace egoic altruism. In essence, human beings are not copiously selfish while, on the other hand, their potential for altruism is not pure.
I am of the opinion that there is no such thing as “pure” altruism. When human beings help strangers or even animals, they often do so because they anticipate a reward even when the reward of the action is not defined. From a philosophical perspective, human beings are potential for altruism because it makes us feel good, might increase our chances going to heaven, and make other people hold high regards towards us (Franklin 41). It is an indirect form of investment where human beings do things while expecting recompense from the same.
Apparently, altruism towards was more pronounced in the past when communities were less developed. Considering that people lived in small groups during the past, genetic relations between human beings was ostensible. Human beings practiced altruism because their survival depended on the survival of the community as a whole. For this reason, people were obliged to help strangers just in case they belonged to their community. Altruism in the contemporary times is not well apparent because we no longer live as extended families and small tribes.
In a nutshell, human beings are neither potential for pure altruism nor selfish. The reason for the notion above is the fact that human beings do things expecting a recompense even when the reward is not direct.

Works Cited

Franklin, Jonathan. 33 Men: Inside the Miraculous Survival and Dramatic Rescue of the Chilean
Miners. Penguin, 2011.