Atheist Altruism
March 25, 2007
Atheist Altruism
Without God to tell us it is good, we shouldn’t have any desire to help other people, especially not perfect strangers, Right? I’m going to blow my own horn for awhile. I like helping people. I like stopping and helping to change a tire. I like giving dirctions to lost travelers. I like volunteering at animal hospitals. I like donating my old clothing, books, furniture, cars, tools, and building materials to charitable organizations. I like working on Habitat for Humanity projects. I like helping Open Source software projects. With the exception of Open Source, I can’t really expect any tangible rewards for my efforts. Does this mean I’m altruistic? I don’t like donating money, regardless of the cause. Does this cancel out any altruistic values I might posess? I intend for this post to be an invitation to Atheists to briefly describe some of their own altuistic tendencies, and, if they want, to attempt to logically justify their altruism. I believe that providing a service without the expectation of payment places the recipient in debt, and without knowing their benefactor, the only way to pay off that debt is in performing a greater service in the future, the theory being, of course, that along the chain, the original gift of generosity will be repaid, with interest. I don’t know what happened to the guy on I-76 that cold winter night, who accepted 2 gallons of free gas. Nor do I know what happened to that lady on I-70 who couldn’t change her own tire during a rain storm. I do know how well the Open Source projects that I’m working with are performing, but I don’t know the people who are directly benefitting from my contributions to those projects. Does it matter? Of course not. I like to think that all the people I’ve helped over the years are helping others as well. Make the world a better place, and all that. I open the floor to your comments. Are you a generous person? How are you generous? Why?
Comments
5 Responses to “Atheist Altruism”
Got something to say?
-
Atheist Blogroll
My daughter is going to be 2. She has had absolutely no instruction concerning the idea of god. How does this tie in?
In her, I see the basics of morality. She empathizes with people. She understands when people are upset or hurt or happy. And in her I see the true nature of people. She naturally want to know why the person is hurt, and wishes to help. I believe that that is a simple demonstration of the nature of people. We are a species that revolves around a sense of community, and these traits lend themselves to the betterment of the community.
I believe that people have a misconception of atheists. It is akin to the idea some people have of bikers. Most bikers are the most charitable people you will ever meet. Most people just don’t stick around long enough to get over the exterior.
Just because I am an atheist does not mean that I lack morals or empathy. In fact, I would argure that one would have to have a moral guideline in order to utter the phrase, “God is good.” If it is a statement of truth, then one must know what good is outside of god.
I’ve come to believe that real altruism can only be anonymous. This is not to say I avoid helping people if I might get credit; I always try to help, but I actively evade credit whenever I can. I do not tell others about altruistic acts unless there is a compelling reason to do so.
I confess this only anonymously, as to do so in an identifiable way would run counter to my values.
I would ask others to try this. Slip money into the charity box when you know no one is looking. Give up your seat on the bus before the pregnant woman sees you do it. In other words, help people in such a way that they will never know what you did.
I do this to convince myself that I am a good person; that I don’t do these things for pride or standing.
Andy,
I want to offer praise, I’m just worried about how you would take it! (The golden rule sucks. I try to follow the Platinum rule: Do unto others as they would have you do unto them)
I respect your beliefs in this matter, although I do not completely share them. Yes, I feel that a gift should be given without expectation of compensation of any sort, but I don’t share the idea that being compensated in some way is a negative thing.
I think that it is of some importance for the recipient to be aware of the gift, but to be in a position where they don’t feel compelled to reciprocate. The old classics, like paying for your $8 meal with a $50, or Offering your seat to the pregant woman. Show a person that the world isn’t a cold, dark place; that there are people out there more than willing to help a complete stranger in distress - That is sometimes a priceless gift. Even after the $42 tip has been spent, or the woman reaches her stop, The gift of a brighter world is still with them.
I’m the sort of person will come up to you randomly if you seem down, and ask what’s wrong, and if there’s any way I can help.
Sometimes I get rebuffed, sometimes I’m mistaken, sometimes I get taken for a ride, but sometimes I succeed.
Despite this, I have very few friends.
Hello All,
I have young children and my oldest is 5 and has just begun asking questions about religion. We celebrate chistmas or crispness or whatever……I love the (temporary) delusion of Santa claus - I explain that he’s the only one on earth with ‘real’ magic. I also like the lights and smell of a dead pine tree in my living room. I tell her that i used to be catholic but I came to realize that it couldn’t be true. I tell her there are hundreds of different gods and when i told her that, oddly, most people believe in a god and that some of them think the earth is only 6,000 years old and that dinosaurs didn’t exist, she looks at me as if I were crazy and says, “They should talk to a scientist” - I think she’s on the right track.
All of my kids, through nature have been empathetic at early ages. I remember being wowed by it……it felt great to know she was, kind and cared about the welfare of others. I’m not a fan of spike lee, but since being a parent I find myself saying, “Mookie, Always do the right thing”
Doing the right thing because it’s the right thing to do and not because you fear judgment by a god could easily be called - altruistic
to answer the question, I’m very much like the others in this thread, I donate money, I’ll try to make someones day better if I can. I’ve changed tires, given long rides…I try to always do the right things. ….I try.