In ten pages several case scenarios featuring altruism are presented and various perspectives theories such as the Bystander Effect are also discussed in order to achieve greater understanding of the concept. Seven sources are cited in the bibliography.
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of personal achievement. The notion of altruism is very old, and from its beginnings it has been controversial. Perhaps the most prominent reason for the controversy is because
altruism is so inherently linked to ethics and morality. However, whatever the cause there is a significant impact on society in regards to altruism, and there is much to
learn about human behavior in relation to this philosophy. What is Altruism The word "altruism" was formed by Auguste Comte
in 1851 (Altruism, 2002). The word is based upon the adjective altrui, which is Italian and denotes benevolence (Altruism, 2002). This term was introduced into English by George
H. Lewes in 1853, and those who were advocates of Comtes philosophies popularized the term (Altruism, 2002). In psychological terms,
the word is used primarily to refer to emotions of a reflective kind, "the immediate consequences of which are beneficial to others" (Altruism, 2002). Therefore, clearly there is an
ethical importance to altruism, which refers to the theory of conduct which states that altruism is holding someone elses happiness above our own (Altruism, 2002).
Comte was instrumental in relating the correlation between altruism and morality, and therefore replaced the idea of God with Humanity (Altruism, 2002). He actually
did in fact create a religion where altruism was supposed to reign, but most of his followers never did pay much attention to the religion, despite the wide acceptance of
his other altruistic theories (Altruism, 2002). However, altruism and helping others is not the same thing (Objectivism In-Brief: Altruism, 2002).