Altruism involves providing selfless assistance to others.
It is in French where we can find the etymological origin of the term altruism that concerns us. Specifically, it can be determined that it emanates from the word altruisme , which means "philanthropy" and which, in turn, comes from the Latin alter , which could be translated as "the other."
Furthermore, it is considered that it was the French philosopher Auguste Comte , father of sociology and positivism, who coined the term altruism in the mid- 19th century . So much so that it is considered that the first time that word appeared was in the book “Catechism” by that author, which was published in 1854 .
What is altruism
Altruism is the human behavior that consists of providing disinterested attention to others, even when said diligence threatens one's own good . It can be understood, therefore, that altruism is the opposite of selfishness (the immoderate love that a subject feels for himself and that leads him to excessively attend to his own interest).
For example: “In a show of altruism, the guide decided to give his provisions to the rest of the expedition members,” “If altruism were massive, there would be no poor people in the world,” “Politicians should show a little altruism and not get rich.” while the people go hungry.”
The altruist , therefore, tries to seek the good of others, without caring about his own. This subject makes some type of personal sacrifice to provide a benefit to others.
With altruism, one seeks the good of others without paying attention to one's own.
Various meanings
There are various meanings of the notion of altruism, depending on the philosophy or moral system in question. It can be said that altruism is a voluntary behavior that seeks the benefit of others and does not anticipate benefits for the subject himself. For some thinkers, the altruist finds the meaning of his life in something that is foreign to him.
Evolutionary biology and ethology maintain that altruism is also a pattern of animal behavior , which leads an individual to put its own life at risk to protect and benefit other members of its species.
There are many studies and research that have been carried out on altruism for centuries. Thus, some of those analyzes have come to determine that the human being, like certain animals, is when he really comes of age when he experiences the value of helping others without having any type of personal interest.
Another author who also made reference to altruism was the Parisian philosopher Émile Littré , a disciple of Comte , who considered it as another example of love between beings of the human species.
Rise of altruism
Certain studies assure that, in human beings, altruism appears around one and a half years of age, which would reflect a natural tendency toward solidarity . Certain thinkers, however, believe that people are not naturally altruistic, but that this condition arises from education .
This last opinion is the one defended at all times by the English philosopher John Stuart Mill . He, who also studied and analyzed topics such as slavery or freedom of expression, was clear that human beings are not born altruistic, but that this quality makes it part of their personality the moment they are educated for it.