Altruism — • A term formed by Auguste Comte in 1851, to denote the benevolent, as contrasted with the selfish propensities Catholic Encyclopedia. Kevin Knight. 2006. Altruism Altruism … Catholic encyclopedia
altruism — Altruism is disinterested benevolence. In other words, an action is altruistic if it is done solely for the benefit of another. Christian philosophers differ on whether it is possible for us to be altruistic. Hobbes took the extreme view that… … Christian Philosophy
altruism — (n .) 1853, unselfishness, opposite of egoism, from Fr. altruisme, coined or popularized 1830 by French philosopher Auguste Comte (1798 1857), from autrui, from O.Fr. altrui, of or to others, from L. alteri, dative of alter other (see ALTER (Cf.… … Etymology dictionary
Altruism — Al tru*ism, n. [F. altruisme (a word of Comte s), It. altrui of or to others, fr. L. alter another.] Regard for others, both natural and moral; devotion to the interests of others; brotherly kindness; opposed to {egoism} or {selfishness}.… … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
altruism — index benevolence (disposition to do good), charity, goodwill, humanity (humaneness), largess (generosity), philanthropy … Law dictionary
altruism — [n] unselfish concern benevolence, charity, humanitarianism, kindness, magnanimity, philanthropy, public spirit, selflessness, social conscience; concept 633 … New thesaurus
altruism — ► NOUN 1) unselfish concern for others. 2) Zoology behaviour of an animal that benefits another at its own expense. DERIVATIVES altruist noun altruistic adjective altruistically adverb. ORIGIN from Italian altrui somebody else , from Latin alteri … English terms dictionary
altruism — [al′tro͞o iz΄əm] n. [Fr altruisme < It altrui or Fr autrui, of or to others < L alter, another: see ALTER] 1. unselfish concern for the welfare of others; selflessness 2. Ethics the doctrine that the general welfare of society is the proper … English World dictionary
Altruism — Selflessness redirects here. For the 1965 jazz album, see Selflessness: Featuring My Favorite Things. Giving alms to the poor is often considered an altruistic action in many cultures and religions. Altruism … Wikipedia
altruism — Behaviour which takes account of the interests of others, usually treated as in opposition to egoism, selfishness, and individualism . There are extensive theoretical and empirical research literatures in social psychology, economics, political… … Dictionary of sociology
