I haven't heard of 'Effective Altruism' until now. I am in favor of helping people when it makes sense to do so. However (and I hope this doesn't come across too negatively), I wonder why? Is altruism a virtue unto itself? It is not one of the 4 Stoic virtues. Richard Dawkins, in his book The Selfish Gene, proposes that there is no altruism. The genes of living creatures seek to perpetuate themselves and what appears altruistic is a larger scheme to maximize this probability. Perhaps this is why Cicero emphasizes helping people closer to us. The more we help our immediate surroundings the better our own chances for survival in them. Or, is there another purpose behind altruism? Maybe as another path to the tranquility and joy the Stoics seek? These are all just questions that come to mind when I consider the topic.
Great points! (Sorry for the slow response--I'm on vacation.) The hard opposition between egoism and altruism is mostly a modern invention. Ancient virtue ethics, like Aristotelianism and Stoicism, did not see them as opposed, because when you act virtuously you are acting both for yourself and others. The best discussion of this is in Julia Annas' book The Morality of Happiness, which comes at the end of the Year of Stoic Reading I recommended. It's quite a dense scholarly work but she very clearly and persuasively explains why this dichotomy does not apply to ancient ethics. Something to look forward to!
No worries, I just went on vacation myself! A false dichotomy! That's really interesting! I know many don't think highly of her, but I've read a lot of Ayn Rand's Objectivism. Parts of it are compelling, but it does kinda make you feel like a bad person! 😂 I'm looking forward to reading more about these ideas. Thanks!
I haven't heard of 'Effective Altruism' until now. I am in favor of helping people when it makes sense to do so. However (and I hope this doesn't come across too negatively), I wonder why? Is altruism a virtue unto itself? It is not one of the 4 Stoic virtues. Richard Dawkins, in his book The Selfish Gene, proposes that there is no altruism. The genes of living creatures seek to perpetuate themselves and what appears altruistic is a larger scheme to maximize this probability. Perhaps this is why Cicero emphasizes helping people closer to us. The more we help our immediate surroundings the better our own chances for survival in them. Or, is there another purpose behind altruism? Maybe as another path to the tranquility and joy the Stoics seek? These are all just questions that come to mind when I consider the topic.
Great points! (Sorry for the slow response--I'm on vacation.) The hard opposition between egoism and altruism is mostly a modern invention. Ancient virtue ethics, like Aristotelianism and Stoicism, did not see them as opposed, because when you act virtuously you are acting both for yourself and others. The best discussion of this is in Julia Annas' book The Morality of Happiness, which comes at the end of the Year of Stoic Reading I recommended. It's quite a dense scholarly work but she very clearly and persuasively explains why this dichotomy does not apply to ancient ethics. Something to look forward to!
No worries, I just went on vacation myself! A false dichotomy! That's really interesting! I know many don't think highly of her, but I've read a lot of Ayn Rand's Objectivism. Parts of it are compelling, but it does kinda make you feel like a bad person! 😂 I'm looking forward to reading more about these ideas. Thanks!