Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP
Posting-Version: version B 2.10 beta 3/9/83; site grkermit.UUCP
Path: utzoo!linus!genrad!grkermit!larry
From: larry@grkermit.UUCP (Larry Kolodney)
Newsgroups: net.politics
Subject: Re: Altruism vs morality
Message-ID: <465@grkermit.UUCP>
Date: Thu, 30-Jun-83 09:24:48 EDT
Article-I.D.: grkermit.465
Posted: Thu Jun 30 09:24:48 1983
Date-Received: Thu, 30-Jun-83 18:00:18 EDT
References: <330@houti.UUCP>
Organization: GenRad Inc., Concord, MA
Lines: 32

Tom Craver argues against altruism as something that is bad, that we should
not do.

That misses the point.  Altruism is innate.  It is something that makes
most people feel good.  A species with an altruistic urge certainly has
more survival value than one in which each member only cares about himself.

How does Tom explain the fact that most people find objectivism repugnant.  
The only places I've ever found signifigant numbers of objectivist is
in situations with lots of engineering types.  I think that is because
engineers tend to 

1) put large emphasis on purely rational thought

2) ignore the spiritual part of man


Part of the spiritual part of man is a need for companionship, and a
sense of community.  NO MAN IS AN ISLAND, although some, who feel alienated
from society (bad childhood, or whatever), pretend that they don't need others.
These people become objectivists.


(setq flame nil)
-- 
Larry Kolodney
(USENET)
decvax!genrad!grkermit!larry
allegra!linus!genrad!grkermit!larry
harpo!eagle!mit-vax!grkermit!larry

(ARPA)  rms.g.lkk@mit-ai