Benevolence

Abstract

Benevolence has played an important role in the history of both Western and Chinese moral philosophy. Historically, it has often been used as the most general and encompassing term to refer to a sentiment aimed at promoting the good of others for its own sake. Since many, though not all, traditions in Western and Chinese moral philosophy identify morality with seeking the good of others, it is understandable that benevolence so understood should be regarded as so central to morality. This usage is important because of the challenge of psychological egoism ( see egoism ), the view that agents seek as their ultimate end only their own good. Unearthing any example of someone aiming at the good of another for her own sake, no matter how minimal, is sufficient to refute psychological egoism. Once the threat of egoism is dispensed with, however, it becomes evident that the category “aiming at the good of others for its own sake” covers an extremely disparate range of actions and motives. Contemporary usages of “benevolence” are more sensitive to that variety.