The Impossibility of Pure Altruism

Ayn Rand says that egoism is concern with ones own interest, making altruism
concern with the interests of another. Pure altruism is therefore concern solely with the
interests of another. Because these defnitions rely on the thoughts behind the actions, we
need to understand how the mind functions in order to discuss them. In my understanding,
the human mind can only be divided into two categories: refex, and goal.
A refex is an involuntary action which occurs without the formation of a goal.
Studies have shown that all humans have a refex known as emotional contagion, or
compassion. Adam Smith says that compassion involves representing to us what would
be our own if we were in another mans case. That is, we feel what we would feel if we
were in the situation we are witnessing. This is a refex because no goal is formed, the
feeling of compassion takes place involuntarily. Other, more observable human refexes
include shuddering, and yawning. Because a refex does not involve a goal or any thought,
it cannot be classifed as either altruistic or egoistic, and does not need to be considered
when dealing with these terms.
The other part of the mind forms goals based upon its needs and desires. These
goals can lead to either altruistic or egoistic actions.
When a goal does not involve others, and is acted upon, the act is considered an
egoistic act. These are the most common kind of acts, and can involve simple, everyday
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(Egois
The Impossibility of Pure Altruism
actions such as going to the toilet, or blowing your nose. These actions are considered
egoistic because they involve the formation of a goal based on your own needs or desires,
and do not involve others.
When others are involved, but the completion of the goal disadvantages them, it is
also considered an egoistic act. An example of this kind of action would be pushing in line
at an ice-cream stand. Others must be there for you to push in front of, but the action
disadvantages them. In this case, you also beneft by both completing your goal and
getting ice-cream frst. Another case would be yelling at someone because you are angry
at them. You do not directly beneft from this, except for completing your goal. But, as this
action disadvantages others, it is still considered egoistic.
When others are involved, and the completion of the goal benefts them, this is
known as an altruistic act. An act that would be regarded as altruistic would be saving a
man from drowning in a river. The human emotional contagion refex means that we
represent to us what would be our own if we were in his case, and become in some
measure the same person as him, which makes his needs, in some measure, our own.
The mind forms the goal to help the man, in order to fulfll our need for him to be saved.
The action of saving him, though still altruistic, is then not purely altruistic. This is because
the action of saving him was carried out to complete our own goal, which adds some
element of egoism. Also consider the acts that were earlier classifed as egoistic, blowing
your nose, and going to the toilet. If the reason you wanted to blow your nose was because
you thought your snifng was annoying other people, the act would then be classifed as
altruistic. This is because others are required to be present in order for you to feel as
though you are annoying them, and your goals primary focus is on their interests. In the
same way, if you went to the toilet because you didnt want to disrupt people by getting up
in the middle of the flm you were about to watch, the act would then also be classifed as
altruistic. However, these actions cannot be purely altruistic, as the action was completed
through the egoistic need to fulfll your own goal.
Altruism as an act with concern with the interests of another, can, and does, exist.
Altruistic acts can be classifed by involving and advantaging others. An act is classifed as
egoistic when it disadvantages others, or does not involve them at all. However, all acts
require the formation of a goal. The nature of a goal means that the mind feels an egoistic
need to fulfll it, giving all actions some egoistic element. This means that altruistic acts can
never be completely rid of egoism. Altruistic acts can never be solely altruistic, they can
never be pure.
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