Thursday 16 June 2016

Does Altruism Exist?

Our next meeting will consider ‘Does Altruism Exist?’

On the 14th July from 7.30pm to 9.30pm at the White Rock Hotel

There are many different ideas about the nature of altruism as we try to explain our natural instinct to help each other.

If you perform an act of kindness for another, is it genuine Altruism, or are you gaining a benefit by feeling good about yourself?

If the kindness costs you something, should it be considered an act of masochism from which you obtain some vicarious delight?

Or is every good deed just the expression of your 'selfish gene' in a collective act of enlightened self-interest?

Or do societies evolve in a form of Darwinian competition in which those that learn to collaborate, survive and prosper better than those in which the members are egotistically self-obsessed?

We will try to examine this from all angles including the biblical roots of original sin.

If you would like to prepare a 10 minute slot to give your point of view, please let me know and I’ll include it in the programme.

In August we will take our summer break so there is no meeting.

Stephen Milton