PHIL 2550 Lecture 13: Altruism II
Document Summary
Could be hedonistic, in which all ultimate desires are about experiencing pleasure and avoiding pain. Could be broader, in which some ultimate desires are hedonistic, while other are about one"s own power, survival benefits: desire for the well-being of others (altruistic): *note: some desires are neither self-interested nor for the well-being of others (ex. the desire to preserve great works of art) it"s about maximizing the quantity of something. Activity identify an ultimate desire that seems altruistic, as well as the various instrumental desires and beliefs that could lead one to satisfy that ultimate desires. Repeat this for an egoistic ultimate desire: altruistic: the ultimate desire to provide a comfortable life for your aging parents; desire to provide for your child, egoistic: live happily. Several arguments are given to support the position the psychological altruism could have evolved: note: you need to be able to distinguish between evolutionary altruism and psychological altruism, questions about survival of a population is evolutionary.