The concept of altruism, or disinterested concern for another's welfare, has been discussed by everyone from theologians to psychologists to biologists. In this book, evolutionary, neurological, developmental, psychological, social, cultural, and religious aspects of altruistic behavior are examined. It is a collaborative examination of one of humanity's essential and defining characteristics by renowned researchers from various disciplines. Their integrative dialogue illustrates that altruistic behavior is a significant mode of expression that can be studied by various scholarly methods and understood from a variety of perspectives in both the humanities and the sciences. Altruism and Altruistic Love establishes a framework for scholarship on altruism by presenting definitions, a historical overview, a review of contemporary research, and debates in various disciplines, as well as a discussion of directions for future work.

Bringing together 21 essays by biologists, social scientists, philosophers, and scholars of religion, this text attempts to establish the origins and meanings of altruism as a comprehensive field incorporating insights from many fields. Explicitly rejecting Cartesian or Platonic divisions between the mind/body or real/ideal, the essays first attempt to define what altruism is, and then examine its roots in human motivation, evolutionary biology, neurobiology, and religious thinking.
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"My brief review cannot do justice to a book of this magnitude. This is a sincere and scholarly effort to build dialogue where there has been very little. Though dense, it is well written and well edited. ... There is a remarkable amount of continuity and coherence for an edited volume. For researchers on topics such as altruism, volunteering, and organizational citizenship behavior, this volume provides a rich and eclectic trove of ideas and reference material."--Personnel Psychology

"This comprehensive overview of current research and thinking about altruism as a vital ethical concern in human affairs is must reading and valuable source material for serious students of these problems."--Theological Studies

"The concept of altruism, or other-centered love and concern, continues to be a critical point of intersection for scientists, ethicists and theologians. Altruism and Altruistic Love (2002) attempts to address the variety of approaches to this multidisciplinary issue. Stephen Post, a ScienceandTheology News columnist, and colleagues offer profound and inspiring essays that explore the way we think about human altruistic behavior."--ScienceandTheology News

"My brief review cannot do justice to a book of this magnitude. This is a sincere and scholarly effort to build dialogue where there has been very little. Though dense, it is well written and well edited. ... There is a remarkable amount of continuity and coherence for an edited volume. For researchers on topics such as altruism, volunteering, and organizational citizenship behavior, this volume provides a rich and eclectic trove of ideas and reference material." --Personnel Psychology

"This comprehensive overview of current research and thinking about altruism as a vital ethical concern in human affairs is must reading and valuable source material for serious students of these problems."--Theological Studies

"The concept of altruism, or other-centered love and concern, continues to be a critical point of intersection for scientists, ethicists and theologians. Altruism and Altruistic Love (2002) attempts to address the variety of approaches to this multidisciplinary issue. Stephen Post, a ScienceandTheology News columnist, and colleagues offer profound and inspiring essays that explore the way we think about human altruistic behavior."--ScienceandTheology News

"Altogether, the book is a highly interesting read on diverse perspectives on the topic of altruistic love....[T]his collection of essays comes a long way in making a case for unselfish behavior that is as much grounded in cogent philosophical analysis as it is informed by modern evolutionary theory."--Human Nature Review

Contributors

General Introduction, Stephen G. Post, Lynn G. Underwood, Jeffrey P. Schloss, and William B. Hurlbut

PART I: DEFINITIONS

Introduction to Part I, Stephen G. Post

1. The ABCs of Altruism, Elliott Sober

2. Pythagorean Bodies and the Body of Altruism, Edith Wyschogrod

3. Morality, Altruism, and Love, Jerome Kagan

4. The Tradition of Agape, Stephen G. Post

Conclusion to Part I, Stephen G. Post

PART II: HUMAN MOTIVATION AND ACTION

Introduction to Part II, Lynn G. Underwood

5. The Human Experience of Compassionate Love: Conceptual Mapping and Data from Selected Studies, Lynn G. Underwood

6. Addressing the Altruism Question Experimentally, C. Daniel Batson

7. Explicating Altruism, Kristen Renwick Monroe

8. Extraordinary Acts of Ordinary People: Faces of Heroism and Altruism, Samuel P. Oliner

Conclusion to Part II, Lynn G. Underwood

PART III: EVOLUTIONARY BIOLOGY

Introduction to Part III, Jeffrey P. Schloss

9. A Darwinian Naturalist's Perspective on Altruism, Michael Ruse

10. Relating Self, Others, and Sacrifice in the Ordering of Love, Stephen J. Pope

11. The Fall and Rise and Fall and Rise and Fall and Rise of Altruism in Evolutionary Biology, David Sloan Wilson and Elliott Sober

12. Some Obstacles to Altruism, Melvin Konner

13. Emerging Accounts of Altruism: "Love Creation's Final Law?", Jeffrey P. Schloss

Conclusion to Part III, Jeffrey P. Schloss

PART IV: THE SCIENCE OF ALTRUISM

Introduction to Part IV, William B. Hurlbut

14. Implications for the Neurobiology of Love, Thomas R. Insel

15. A Note on the Neurobiology of Emotions, Antonio R. Damasio

16. Impairment of Interpersonal Social Behavior Caused by Acquired Brain Damage, Hanna Damasio

17. The Communication of Emotions and the Possibility of Empathy in Animals, Stephanie D. Preston and Frans B. M. de Waal

18. Empathy, Evolution, and Altruism, William B. Hurlbut

Conclusion to Part IV, William B. Hurlbut

PART V: RELIGION

Introduction to Part V, Stephen G. Post

19. Science and Religion on the Nature of Love, Don S. Browning

20. Separation, Attachment, and Altruistic Love: The Evolutionary Basis for Medical Caring, Gregory L. Fricchione

21. Compassion out of Wisdom: Buddhist Perspectives from the Past Toward the Human Future, Ruben L.F. Habito

Conclusion to Part V, Stephen G. Post

A Concluding Summary: Future Research Needs on Altruism and Altruistic Love, Stephen G. Post and Lynn G. Underwood

Annotated Bibliography: Research on Personality and Individual Differences in Altruism, Shelley Dean Kilpatrick and Michael E. McCullough

References

List of Articles by Subject

Index