altruism

altruism
altruism (n .) 1853, "unselfishness, opposite of egoism," from Fr. altruisme, coined or popularized 1830 by French philosopher Auguste Comte (1798-1857), from autrui, from O.Fr. altrui, "of or to others," from L. alteri, dative of alter "other" (see ALTER (Cf. alter)). Apparently suggested to Comte by French legal phrase l'autrui, or in full, le bien, le droit d'autrui. The -l- is perhaps a reinsertion from the Latin word.
There is a fable that when the badger had been stung all over by bees, a bear consoled him by a rhapsodic account of how he himself had just breakfasted on their honey. The badger replied peevishly, "The stings are in my flesh, and the sweetness is on your muzzle." The bear, it is said, was surprised at the badger's want of altruism. ["George Eliot," "Theophrastus Such," 1879]

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  • Altruism — • A term formed by Auguste Comte in 1851, to denote the benevolent, as contrasted with the selfish propensities Catholic Encyclopedia. Kevin Knight. 2006. Altruism     Altruism      …   Catholic encyclopedia

  • altruism — ALTRUÍSM s.n. Atitudine morală sau dispoziţie sufletească a celui care acţionează dezinteresat în favoarea altora; doctrină morală care preconizează o asemenea atitudine. – Din fr. altruisme. Trimis de Alex, 25.11.2008. Sursa: DEX 98  Altruism ≠ …   Dicționar Român

  • altruism —    Altruism is disinterested benevolence. In other words, an action is altruistic if it is done solely for the benefit of another. Christian philosophers differ on whether it is possible for us to be altruistic. Hobbes took the extreme view that… …   Christian Philosophy

  • Altruism — Al tru*ism, n. [F. altruisme (a word of Comte s), It. altrui of or to others, fr. L. alter another.] Regard for others, both natural and moral; devotion to the interests of others; brotherly kindness; opposed to {egoism} or {selfishness}.… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • altruism — index benevolence (disposition to do good), charity, goodwill, humanity (humaneness), largess (generosity), philanthropy …   Law dictionary

  • altruism — [n] unselfish concern benevolence, charity, humanitarianism, kindness, magnanimity, philanthropy, public spirit, selflessness, social conscience; concept 633 …   New thesaurus

  • altruism — ► NOUN 1) unselfish concern for others. 2) Zoology behaviour of an animal that benefits another at its own expense. DERIVATIVES altruist noun altruistic adjective altruistically adverb. ORIGIN from Italian altrui somebody else , from Latin alteri …   English terms dictionary

  • altruism — [al′tro͞o iz΄əm] n. [Fr altruisme < It altrui or Fr autrui, of or to others < L alter, another: see ALTER] 1. unselfish concern for the welfare of others; selflessness 2. Ethics the doctrine that the general welfare of society is the proper …   English World dictionary

  • Altruism — Selflessness redirects here. For the 1965 jazz album, see Selflessness: Featuring My Favorite Things. Giving alms to the poor is often considered an altruistic action in many cultures and religions. Altruism …   Wikipedia

  • altruism — Behaviour which takes account of the interests of others, usually treated as in opposition to egoism, selfishness, and individualism . There are extensive theoretical and empirical research literatures in social psychology, economics, political… …   Dictionary of sociology

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