Altruism Essay Example for Free

Altruism Essay The statement â€Å"People never intentionally act to benefit others except only to obtain some good for themselves† is often described as Altruism or an Altruistic act. This statement is not entirely true. It is possible for someone to intentionally act to benefit others, but this is something that does not happen very often. There are multiple theories as to why people do and do not perform altruistic acts. If someone is a member of your family you are more likely to help a person in need, if you feel sympathetic towards someone you are likely to help a person in need or if it is a social norm you are likely to help them. If in a certain situation helping someone is not a social norm then you are less likely to help this person. Even if someone wanted to perform an altruistic act it is very difficult to do so in our society because we reward people who we perceive to be good, or to have done good things. If you perform an Altruistic act towards a member of your family would be acting within Hamilton’s kin selection theory (1960s). The kin selection theory which states that you are much more likely to perform an altruistic act if the person you are helping is a member of your family. An example of this is recently in Melbourne there was a wall collapse. Three people died as a result of this incident; a woman in her thirties and an eighteen and nineteen-year-old siblings, the older brother and his sister. The older woman died upon impact, as did the brother, but only after he shielded his sister from the collapsing wall. His sister also died later in hospital. (ABC News, 1st April 2013) This is an example of the kin selection theory. Instead of doing what benefited himself, he tried to save his sister, despite it having dire consequences. This would be considered an act of altruism as it did not benefit him, and in this case even had negative consequences, especially as his sister later died in hospital. Another reason people perform altruistic acts is out of sympathy. Sympathy is a natural feeling of concern for a person. Even if you can’t relate to the person you feel bad for them, or concerned for them. An example of someone feeling sympathetic is Julio Diaz, who when a mugger came up to him one night with a knife he handed over his wallet without complaint. When the mugger went to walk away he stopped him and offered him his coat as well, saying he didn’t want the mugger to get cold. He then continued to offer to buy the mugger dinner. (Huffington Post, 17th November 2011). Diaz obviously felt sympathy towards the mugger, or he wouldn’t have given over his wallet, jacket and paid for his dinner. Diaz ended up getting his wallet back from the boy who handed it over after they had eaten. Diaz felt sympathy towards the boy due to the fact that the boy had almost nothing, where as Diaz had enough money to comfortably live. Sympathy makes people feel like they have a moral obligation to help someone in need – the person they feel sympathetic towards. Sometimes people help others because it is considered a social norm. An example of this is saying please and thank you. This is considered normal in most societies and it is often frowned upon if you don’t use these. A social norm is something people often take for granted and a lot of people are shocked when someone doesn’t follow what they consider to be normal. Another example of a social norm in our society is to wear clothes in public. If you were walking down the street and you say someone walking towards you naked you would not think this was normal. You would wonder why they were naked and often avoid walking to close to, making eye contact with, or speaking to this person. If you were in some traditional aboriginal culture you would wear nothing but animal skin, or even walk around naked. This is/was considered a social norm within that society. There are some internationally recognized social norms, like not engaging in cannibalism, and dressing modestly. While not all societies, past or present, follow these social norms most of the world does. There are also norms within society, religion and individual families. A social norm in our society is mate-ship, not letting down your friends, family, or community. There are plenty of social norms in religion, such as in Christianity it is not exactable to love someone of the same sex. This is an example of a social norm that is slowly changing over time, as do most social norms. It was a social norm in Britain in the 1800’s that you attended church, where as in 2002 only 18. 6% of people in the United Kingdom attended church regularly. (Tearfund report, 2007) This is an example of how social norms change over time, and what we consider to be social norms at the moment may not be considered normal in 40,50,60,70 or more years. These things cannot be considered an altruistic act because you would benefit poorly from not doing these things, so it is good for you to say please and thank you, bringing it back to the first example. There are also plenty of things people do not do to help others because it is considered outside of the social norms. If you saw a drunk person on the street you probably wouldn’t help them because society has shaped us to think that these people brought the state they are in on themselves, therefore it is not our problem to help them once they are in this situation. Social norms can be beneficial, but they can also detrimental. Another instance where helping someone is not considered an altruistic act is if the act is mutually beneficial. This can cover a range of things, from the benefit to you being a smile from someone, to a bravery award. If you see a child drowning and you swim out and save them and when you get back their mother says thank you and buys you an ice cream then you are benefiting, the ice cream being the benefit. If while trying to save this child you drown you do not benefit in anyway, and this even has a negative affect on you. This would be an act of altruism because there is no mutual benefit. A benefit for you may be something as small as a good feeling inside, or a smile, but these are benefits of saving the child, there for there is mutual benefit. You walk away with a good feeling and maybe an ice cream and the child walks away with his life. A real life example of this is Don Richie, who lived just across the road from one of Australia’s most notorious suicide locations. It is estimated that Richie saved more than 160 lives in his lifetime. He received the title of Australia’s local hero in 2011(ABC Radio, 14th May 2012). This is something he got out of stopping these people commit suicide. Despite the fact that he had no knowledge he was going to receive this award when he started saving people, because he received this award it is not an act of altruism. Some would argue that even if he hadn’t received this award these would still not be acts of altruism, as he felt good about saving these people, and it made him a happier person. This is his benefit, making it mutually beneficial and not an act of altruism. People do act to benefit others, without obtaining good for themselves, but this is a rare situation. Whether the person wanted to obtain some good for themselves or not they almost always do, as acts of kindness are rewarded in most societies. While people can intentionally act to benefit others without obtaining good for themselves this almost never happens, simply because of the way our society is shaped.

Fading Christian Relevancy Exposed by Sallie McFague Essay -- Religion

My first encounter with Sallie McFague’s article was jarring: her eco-feminist metaphorical approach to theology is somewhat unexpected to those unfamiliar with Religious Studies. Yet I suppose I have misjudged much of this field of study by unfairly coming to expect either wholly traditional or wholly radical claims. McFague’s approach, however, seems relatively moderate and reasonable in all its assertions, and its neo-Derridian deconstruction had my inner cultural analyst bursting with excitement. Aching to break away from the patriarchical tyranny of classical Christian theology, she is committed to a drastic reconstruction of traditional Christian dogma. At first I wondered as to her motives: was this deconstruction fueled by a second-wave feminist desire to overthrow patriarchy, or the wishes of a tree-hugging ecologist on a mission to save the natural world (as suggested by her book’s title, Theology for an Ecological, Nuclear Age)? Apparently neither. It is after the first few paragraphs that McFague brings clear relevancy to her writing. She argues that the common interpretation of Jesus’ resurrection serves to negate God’s omnipresence. Traditionally it is understood that the resurrection represents a â€Å"personal, bodily translation into another world† (259) though which one can join the Savior. Thus while awaiting a later holistic reunion with God, one’s earthly, bodily present is in â€Å"between-time†, in limbo, lacking God in space and time. Thus McFague fears such an interpretation for its indirect implications: God, then, is not ‘omnipresent’ – He is only par tially, selectively present. (260) She proposes, then, that the resurrection tale no longer be held as a mythology of transcendence, but rather as a â€Å"promise of G... ...e need for metaphorical theology. The particular appeal of McFague’s style is, then, not necessarily her argument nor her logic: rather it is her open-minded approach to such controversial matters. For as McFague herself would openly admit, â€Å"there are, of course, different understandings on what is ‘better’† (265). Notes: [1] I particular enjoyed McFague’s observation that â€Å"a model is a metaphor with ‘staying power’† (278) as I have often wondered at what point a religious metaphor, such as ‘God as Father’, becomes accepted enough that it becomes used in the vernacular. [2] McFague’s ‘metaphorical theology’ very much reminds me of George Carlin’s attempts to rejuvenate an outdated Jesus in Dogma. McFague, like Carlin’s Cardinal Glick, is trying to ‘re-package’ and ‘sell’ faith (or rather, The â€Å"Buddy Jesus†) by preventing a need, and relevancy, for religion.

Creating a Level Playing Field for Wisconsin Education Essay

It is a well known fact that the educational outcome of our children is either boosted or hindered by their families’ socioeconomic backgrounds, and while this fact is hardly fair to those underprivileged students, (and despite a few halfhearted but well-meaning policies against it), this inequality is likely to persist. (Wisconsin 2006). Although the rates for high school completion between whites and minorities seem to be slowly equaling out, a 1999 report from the U. S. Department of Education showed that nationwide while 27.5% of whites had received a Bachelor’s degree, only 12. 2% of blacks had attained that same level of education (Wisconsin 2006). In the State of Wisconsin, 15. 8% of whites have a Bachelor’s Degree, while only 6. 9% of blacks have the same, only about half of the nationwide percentage for blacks. (Demographic Profile 2004). In the Wisconsin school districts, the most important reason for the disparity in education between blacks and whites seems to be centered once again on socioeconomic ills. In 1954 the U. S.   Supreme Court unanimously agreed that segregating schoolchildren by race was unconstitutional, however fifty years later, while the ideas and decisions of 1954 seem fairly straightforward, the reality of the situation is a little less clear. In the Milwaukee area, the portion of the population that is black or Hispanic is rising, and the gap between black and white in Wisconsin as a whole is among the largest in the United States. (Borsuk 2004). Wisconsin has struggled with the task of overcoming that particular stigma and in education at least has made some inroads, but much work remains to be done. The difference in test scores on a recently released federal government report between white and black eighth graders was larger in Wisconsin than in any other state in the United States. (Borsuk 2004). Keep in mind that white students in Wisconsin are on par educationally with the rest of the United States, yet a higher percentage of black eighth graders from Wisconsin scored below basic—the lowest category. Previous studies also confirm that Wisconsin again takes the lead in the gap between incarceration rates between blacks and whites, and that â€Å"racial separation is the predominant pattern for neighborhoods. † (Borsuk 2004). If racial separation is considered â€Å"normal† or usual in the average neighborhood, then changing that in the schools systems represents a huge obstacle. When the desegregation plan went into effect the Milwaukee Public School system was 60% white, and now it is about 15% white, but there are few schools that have substantial enrollment of both black and white students. This means that the white children are leaving public schools to attend private schools, which helps very little in the overall desegregation efforts. Elizabeth Burmaster, Wisconsin’s state superintendent of schools says, â€Å"I believe that in Wisconsin the gap is very directly correlated to economic disadvantage. † (Borsuk 2004). Low income kids, as we all know, do not do as well in testing areas or graduation as do children from higher economic families. Because the lower income students are more likely to be black, the success rate of the black students, particularly in Wisconsin, are at very unhealthy rates, a problem that has been addressed by both Chapter 220 and the voucher system, with some small successes, but nothing to write home about. The white children are more likely to have parents with higher levels of education, leading to more economic advantage, while the black children are more likely to have parent’s with less education, leading to lower paying jobs. It becomes a vicious cycle as the black children don’t seem to be receiving the same education as the white children which will in turn cause them to work at low-paying jobs creating yet another generation of the disadvantaged.

The Signs Of The Age Of Modernity - 1734 Words

Invented in the first half of the nineteenth century, photography became one of the signs of the age of modernity. Following the official announcement of the invention in 1839, photographers were dispatched to various parts of the world to document its marvels. The first places to be photographed in the Middle East were Palestine and Egypt shortly after the invention was announced. The rest of the Ottoman lands, Persia, and the Indian Subcontinent were also among the regions that were photographed soon after. European political, religious and colonial interests were initially the main reason behind the choice of what places were photographed first. Biblical history was the main motive behind photographing in Palestine, and ancient Egyptian history and the rise in the studies of archaeology were the motives for photographing the Pyramids. However, the British photographers primarily in connection with the empire’s colonial interests in that region heavily photographed India. The Arabian Peninsula, at the time, held little interest in the wider imagination of the Europeans, a fact that resulted in a delay in its visual representation. Still, the rising interest in the Islamic culture and the lifestyle of the Bedouins would eventually lead photographers in that region. At least one native, one Egyptian and a few European photographers photographed Mecca and Medina in the middle of the nineteenth century. In this context, concern with photographing Oman and the Gulf region wereShow MoreRelatedEvaluate Postmodernist Explanations of the Role and Functions of Religion in Contemporary Society.1606 Words   |  7 PagesZygmunt Bauman said post-modernity is the irretrievable loss of trust in the project of modernity and its ability to manage, enhance and fulfil human potential. Symbols, signs and meanings are also another theory to post-modernism. Mass media like television and the internet have exposed us all to different cultures and ideas from across the globe, also known as globalisation. The ‘meanings’ of things have now become more individualised, we consume the products, symbols and signs of a globalised economyRead MoreWho Is A True Believer?896 Words   |  4 PagesLemert explains modernity through several perspectives of classical or established sociologist. Sigmund Freud understanding of Oedipus tells us that humans only see what they want while masking the reality of the world. He believes this is the reason for the feelings of many bourgeois Europeans during the 19th century of modernity. Karl Marx insinuated that modernity was the destruction of tradition, and that humankind was expected to tolerate the contradictory lives that modernity created. LemertRead MoreAn Instrument For The Discovery Of Truth1301 Words   |  6 PagesOn the contrary, Southern claims individualism stemmed from the development of knowledge and logic in the Middle Ages. He discusses how well-rounded knowledge directed a change in the structure of society. Knowledge is something present in all societies, but it is important to note that religious communities encouraged knowledge in expressing individualism, which was not present in the Catholic Church previously. The development of individualism in the secular society is crucial, because it meantRead MoreSoyinka’s Views of Modernity and Tradition in The Lion and the Jewel1022 Words   |  5 PagesA common post-colonial struggle shows itself in Soyinka’s The Lion and the Jewel between modernity and the traditional, seen both in a transparent manner as the Western World clearly and gradually influences the play’s village of Ilujinle as well as a deeper way between two of its central characters—Lakunle representing modernity while Baroka represents tradit ion. However, although the struggle is brought to fruition throughout the course of the play, it seems rather evident for which side SoyinkaRead MoreModern Film On Our Rational And Critical Thought Processes1372 Words   |  6 Pagesfuturity, Benjamin presents a convincing argument—the technology of film can create subjectivities that will help the masses assimilate into modernity. Horkheimer and Adorno s understanding of film reflects our current reality. Although Benjamin acknowledges film s current state, he envisions a future where film trains us to cope with the pressures of modernity. In The Culture Industry: Enlightenment as Mass Deception, Horkheimer and Adorno argue film oppresses our ability to think critically. TheyRead MoreThe Effects Of Modern Film On Our Rational And Critical Thought Processes1395 Words   |  6 Pagesfuturity, Benjamin presents a convincing argument—the technology of film can create subjectivities that will help the masses assimilate into modernity. Horkheimer and Adorno s understanding of film reflects our current reality. Although Benjamin acknowledges film s current state, he envisions a future where film trains us to cope with the pressures of modernity. In The Culture Industry: Enlightenment as Mass Deception, Horkheimer and Adorno argue that film oppresses our ability to think criticallyRead MoreThe Enlightenment s Influence On The French Revolution885 Words   |  4 Pageswidespread that they did not only affect France, but many other countries also. The French Revolution was directly inspired and influenced by the Enlightenment. Revolutionaries in France built their cause around the ideals of the Age of Reason. Reason, reform and modernity took hold mainly in Germany, Great Britain and of course, France. The Enlightenment was not able to permeate the small middle class in Austria, Italy, Poland-Lithuania, Spain and Russia because their governments were easily ableRead MoreThe Reasons for the Rise of the Nazi Dictatorship Essay925 Words   |  4 Pagesof the Nazi Dictatorship of the 1930’s and 40’s have been a topic much debated upon by historians for decades. Arguably the most prominent theory is the idea of a â€Å"Sonderweg† or special path taken by Germany that â€Å"deviates from the normal path to modernity†¦ the British way, the first and therefore classical model.† There is ample evidence of a â€Å"Sonderweg† throughout Wilhelmine/Bismarckian Germany, from the lack of a real democracy in 1871 to attempts to repress threats through policies such as KulturkampfRead MoreLiterary Theories And Literary Criticism1318 Words   |  6 PagesDeconstr uction 1. †¢ The relationship between text and meaning. Piece of writing does not have just one meaning and that the meaning depends on the reader.(Merriam-Webster s Learner s Dictionary). †¢ â€Å"Language is a system of signs, and words only have meaning because of the contrast between these signs†. Ferdinand de Saussure. †¢ Critical analysis of philosophical as well as literary language that emphasizes the core mechanisms of language and abstract systems, interpersonal quality of meaning and the expectationsRead MoreIntroduction of the Cut Throat Institutions of Western Capitalism into China1556 Words   |  6 Pagescapitalism, foreign policy, and western imperialism. China for centuries had dealt with foreigners on its own understanding of foreign policy called the tribute system which maintain the idea that outside nations would be submissive to China authority as a sign of respect to the Emperor because China was seen as the most advance country in the world and in recognition of the heavenly mandate. The tribute system was mostly used between China and nomadic Asian tribes as a form of peace negotiations. Later when