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Full-Text Articles in Arts and Humanities
The Altruistic Self, Nathan Dougherty
The Altruistic Self, Nathan Dougherty
Dialogue & Nexus
Altruism as a purely naturalistic phenomenon self-defeats the term altogether; however, theology also makes unsubstantiated claims that some behaviors are purely selfless. I will first define various conceptual forms of altruism and then offer explanations of the term from neurological, evolutionary and psychological investigations. Despite the position that altruism can be reduced to a fantastical impossibility bearing neither the arms of science nor theology, it is also a fallacy to separate it from a religiously derived supernatural altruism that carries no implications for the realm of morality.
An Analysis Of Altruism, Sarah Siemens
An Analysis Of Altruism, Sarah Siemens
Dialogue & Nexus
Scientists, freethinkers, and philosophers have attempted to find an explanation of the role of altruism in a natural world that is compatible to the dominantly accepted Darwinian principle of natural selection. Many postulates have been developed in an attempt to explain how self-sacrificial behaviors are cohesive within the “survival of the fittest” ideology. This has caused many scientists to broaden the definition of altruism to understand its components in the physical world. In order to understand how absolute altruism is solely found through God’s love, it is necessary to examine each subset of scientific altruism to reveal their differences. None …
Downward Mobility: Rediscovering A Narrative Of Justice, Josh Smith
Downward Mobility: Rediscovering A Narrative Of Justice, Josh Smith
Dialogue & Nexus
In this paper, social justice is defined by examining key perspectives of what it is from philosophy, theology, and biology. We will note where it is absent in order to discover what people deserve in a society governed by social justice. All of this will be evaluated in light of the Carmen Christi, the Hymn of Christ from Philippians 2. The example of Christ’s self-emptying (kenotic) refusal to consider equality with God (harpagmos) a thing to be grasped provides a crucial framework that enables us to emulate self-sacrificial altruism.
Altruism: Biological Rationale Vs. Christian Love Command, Chris Porter, Landry Guin
Altruism: Biological Rationale Vs. Christian Love Command, Chris Porter, Landry Guin
Dialogue & Nexus
The idea of altruism and self-sacrifice appears counter to a simple view of evolution. While a “survival of the fittest” mindset occurs in some Darwinian views, there are counter-examples of animals and humans with cooperative, pro-social, and even self-sacrificial behavior. Social animals such as bees and ants work for the community and provide for the queen due to a haploid-diploid system of genetic relatedness. Some humans sacrifice their lives and money to promote the well-being of others even without genetic relatedness and, rarely, without reciprocity. We will explore why human animals often help people who are less fortunate by giving …