Altruism and Altruistic Love Science, Philosophy, and Religion in Dialogue

by Post, Stephen G.; Underwood, Lynn G.; Schloss, Jeffrey P.; Hurlbut, William B.

• ISBN13: 9780195143584
• ISBN10: 0195143582
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2002-03-28
• Publisher: Oxford University Press

Summary

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 areexamined. 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 scholarlymethods 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, aswell as a discussion of directions for future work.

Table of Contents

Contributors	xi
General Introduction	3	(12)
Stephen G. Post
Lynn G. Underwood
Jeffrey P. Schloss
William B. Hurlbut
PART I: DEFINITIONS
Introduction to Part I	15	(2)
Stephen G. Post
The ABCs of Altruism	17	(12)
Eliott Sober
Pythagorean Bodies and the Body of Altruism	29	(11)
Edith Wyschogrod
Morality, Altruism, and Love	40	(11)
Jerome Kagan
The Tradition of Agape	51	(21)
Stephen G. Post
Conclusion to Part I	65	(4)
Stephen G. Post
PART II: HUMAN MOTIVATION AND ACTION
Introduction to Part II	69	(3)
Lynn G. Underwood
The Human Experience of Compassionate Love: Conceptual Mapping and Data from Selected Studies	72	(17)
Lynn G. Underwood
Addressing the Altruism Question Experimentally	89	(17)
C. Daniel Batson
Explicating Altruism	106	(17)
Kristen Renwick Monroe
Extraordinary Acts of Ordinary People: Faces of Heroism and Altruism	123	(28)
Samuel P. Oliner
Conclusion to Part II	140	(5)
Lynn G. Underwood
PART III. EVOLUTIONARY BIOLOGY
Introduction to Part III	145	(6)
Jeffrey P. Schloss
A Darwinian Naturalist's Perspective on Altruism	151	(17)
Michael Ruse
Relating Self, Others, and Sacrifice in the Ordering of Love	168	(14)
Stephen J. Pope
The Fall and Rise and Fall and Rise and Fall and Rise of Altruism in Evolutionary Biology	182	(10)
David Sloan Wilson
Elliott Sober
Some Obstacles to Altruism	192	(20)
Melvin Konner
Emerging Accounts of Altruism: `` Love Creation's Final Law''?	212	(42)
Jeffrey P. Schloss
Conclusion to Part III	243	(6)
Jeffrey P. Schloss
PART IV: THE SCIENCE OF ALTRUISM
Introduction to Part IV	249	(5)
William B. Hurlbut
Implications for the Neurobiology of Love	254	(10)
Thomas R. Insel
A Note on the Neurobiology of Emotions	264	(8)
Antonio R. Damasio
Impairment of Interpersonal Social Behavior Caused by Acquired Brain Damage	272	(12)
Hanna Damasio
The Communication of Emotions and the Possibility of Empathy in Animals	284	(25)
Stephanie D. Preston
Frans B.M. de Waal
Empathy, Evolution, and Altruism	309	(26)
William B. Hurlbut
Conclusion to Part IV	328	(5)
William B. Hurlbut
PART V: RELIGION
Introduction to Part V	333	(2)
Stephen G. Post
Science and Religion on the Nature of Love	335	(11)
Don S. Browning
Separation, Attachment, and Altruistic Love: The Evolutionary Basis for Medical Caring	346	(16)
Gregory L. Fricchione
Compassion out of Wisdom: Buddhist Perspectives from the Past toward the Human Future	362	(113)
Ruben L.F. Habito
Conclusion to Part V	376	(3)
Stephen G. Post
Concluding Summary: Future Research Needs on Altruism and Altruistic Love	379	(8)
Stephen G. Post
Lynn G. Underwood
Annotated Bibliography: Research on Personality and Individual Differences in Altruism	387	(88)
Shelley Dean Kilpatrick
Michael E. McCullough
References	475	(10)
List of Articles by Subject	485	(6)
Index	491