On
the Origin of Altruism and Charitable Behavior Conceptions: Chosen
Ancient Sources as a Contribution to Prosocial Behavior Theory
W.T. Poplawski |
The
view is presented, that investigations involving theories of prosocial
behavior do not take advantage of coherent sources derived from the
heritage of human thought. There are elements of the knowledge from
historio-philosophical and religion studies, where a scientific psychological
analysis could favorably occur, as a contribution for prosocial behavior
theory. Some ancient texts are indicated. It is presupposed that
the genesis of the discussion of the altruism phenomenon and an initial
formulation of the concept, could be associated with Aristotelian
`Nicomachean Ethics'-not as has been usually considered, with Comte's
`Catechisme Positiviste'. There is performed a short theoretical
exploration on the portion of the Aristotelian text, concerning its
value for prosocial behavior theoretical studies. The genesis and
meaning of the concept of charity are discussed, revealing its roots
in the text of the New Testament. The moral and practical values
of this concept are emphasized, and are regarded as essential for
the prosocial behavior area. It is pointed out that a very selective
choice should precede those postulated analyses.
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