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Single Idea 90
[filed under theme 22. Metaethics / B. Value / 2. Values / f. Altruism
]
Full Idea
All friendly feelings for others are extensions of a man's feelings for himself.
Gist of Idea
All altruism is an extension of self-love
Source
Aristotle (Nicomachean Ethics [c.334 BCE], 1168b06)
Book Ref
Aristotle: 'Ethics (Nicomachean)', ed/tr. ThomsonJ A K/TredennickH [Penguin 1976], p.300
A Reaction
I'm not sure what his evidence is for this. The love of parents for their children doesn't seem to be based on self-love.
The
16 ideas
with the same theme
[placing the concerns of others before one's self]:
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1590
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The just man does not harm his enemies, but benefits everyone
[Plato]
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90
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All altruism is an extension of self-love
[Aristotle]
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3553
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Stoic morality says that one's own happiness will lead to impartiality
[Stoic school, by Annas]
|
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6244
|
Human nature seems incapable of universal malice, except what results from self-love
[Hutcheson]
|
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3926
|
The human heart has a natural concern for public good
[Hume]
|
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3717
|
Reverence is awareness of a value which demolishes my self-love
[Kant]
|
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3720
|
We may claim noble motives, but we cannot penetrate our secret impulses
[Kant]
|
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4185
|
Altruistic people make less distinction than usual between themselves and others
[Schopenhauer]
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14831
|
No one has ever done anything that was entirely for other people
[Nietzsche]
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7205
|
Altruism is praised by the egoism of the weak, who want everyone to be looked after
[Nietzsche]
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4505
|
How can it be that I should prefer my neighbour to myself, but he should prefer me to himself?
[Nietzsche]
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5316
|
We undermine altruism by rewarding it, but we reward it to encourage it
[Wilson,EO]
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5318
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Pure hard-core altruism based on kin selection is the enemy of civilisation
[Wilson,EO]
|
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3263
|
If our own life lacks meaning, devotion to others won't give it meaning
[Nagel]
|
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21830
|
For Darwinians, altruism is either contracts or genetics
[Flanagan]
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9781
|
Tolerance and love are strategies to avoid encountering our neighbours
[Zizek]
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