Altruism Arrives in America

Budd, Louis J.

doi:10.2307/2710296

Cited by 11 publications

(2 citation statements)

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“…In order to define unenlightened altruism, it is important to first discern the historical and contextual meaning of both altruism and enlightenment. Coined by the French philosopher Auguste Comte, the founder of positivism, altruism was part of an ethical commentary on morality and man's fundamental obligations, rights and duties to humanity (Budd, 1956). Modern contextual use of altruism has expanded this strictly moralistic genesis to codify a practice, a habit and an ethical doctrine.…”

Section: Defining Unenlightened Altruismmentioning

confidence: 99%

On Unenlightened Altruism

D'Souza

Adams

2014

Journal of Human Values

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Altruism is generally accepted to be the practice of unselfish concern for the well-being of others coupled with an associated measure of personal cost. Altruism as an actionable treatise for living aims to benefit society. While altruistic acts have traditionally been viewed as virtuous, in some cases, positive outcomes might not be forthcoming if the actor is not enlightened about the consequences of specific courses of action. While this precept has been argued extensively in historical commentary, no formal definition exists for it. This article terms this concept as 'unenlightened altruism'. The article reviews the scant extant discourse on 'unenlightened altruism' in scholarly literature, provides a formal definition for the ideology, opines consequentialist implications and correlates it to related ethical constructs. From the consequentialist standpoint, it is argued that it might be more ethical not to act than to act out of unenlightened altruism.

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Section: Defining Unenlightened Altruismmentioning

confidence: 99%

On Unenlightened Altruism

D'Souza

Adams

2014

Journal of Human Values

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“…We argue that the vitality of American capitalism is testament to the importance of non-self-interest motivated behavior, and also that altruism is superior to enlightened self-interest. Hence, an economic theory that adequately explains the real world must explicitly introduce altruistic behavior into its models of individual behavior (Simon, 1993;Budd, 1956;Giddings, 1893). We consider U.S. history an example of the superiority of altruism over enlightened self-interest, and this has been crucial to economic prosperity over time.…”

Section: The Economics Of Philanthropy and Altruismmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Entrepreneurship-Philanthropy Nexus: Nonmarket Source of American Entrepreneurial Capitalism

Ács¹,

Audretsch

Phillips

et al. 2007

SSRN Journal

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What differentiates American capitalism from all other forms of industrial capitalism is a historical focus on both the creation of wealth (entrepreneurship) and the reconstitution of wealth (philanthropy). Philanthropy has been part of the implicit American social contract that continuously nurtures and revitalizes economic prosperity. Much of the new wealth created historically has been given back to the community to build many of the great social institutions that have paved the way for future economic growth. This entrepreneurship-philanthropy nexus has not been fully explored by either economists or the general public. The purpose of this paper is to suggest that American philanthropists-particularly those who have made their own fortunes-create foundations that, in turn, contribute to greater and more widespread economic prosperity through knowledge creation. Analyzing philanthropy sheds light on our current understanding of how economic development has occurred, as well as the roots of American economic dominance.JEL classifications: D64 -Altruism; M13 -Entrepreneurship; M14 -Social Responsibility.

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Legitimating meritocracy as part of the American Dream through the ritual of commencement speeches

Rosa

Lázaro²

2022

Linguistics and Education

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Altruism Arrives in America

Cited by 11 publications

References 0 publications

On Unenlightened Altruism

On Unenlightened Altruism

The Entrepreneurship-Philanthropy Nexus: Nonmarket Source of American Entrepreneurial Capitalism

Legitimating meritocracy as part of the American Dream through the ritual of commencement speeches

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