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- Title
The Importance of Practical Understanding for Altruistic Behavior.
- Authors
Goodman, Jonathan R.
- Abstract
In this paper I present a revised view of altruistic behavior, whereby neither intention, nor effect, nor their combination, is sufficient for distinguishing altruistic behavior. On this view, a behavior is altruistic to the extent that it signals an intention to benefit another at a cost to oneself, irrespective of actual intention or effect. This understanding yields interesting but sometimes counterintuitive implications; for instance, a particular behavior intended to be altruistic that has a positive effect on the intended recipient is not necessarily altruistic. One of the features of this view is that a practical understanding of the nuances of particular social circumstances is a necessary criterion for acting altruistically; this is shown with examples of gift-giving intended to be generous that fail to qualify as altruistic on this conception. Two corollaries of this view of altruism are proposed: first, an altruistic signal is designed to elicit costly behavior from recipients and observers; second, honestly altruistic signaling is more likely to benefit the agent than deceitful signaling.
- Subjects
ALTRUISM -- Social aspects; HUMAN behavior; SIGNALING (Psychology)
- Publication
ASEBL Journal, 2018, Vol 13, Issue 1, p10
- ISSN
1944-401X
- Publication type
Article