CHAPTER V 



THE DOCTRINE OF ALTRUISM 



A fragment of ethics On a psychological basis Opposes psychological hedonism 

 Healthily, but incompetently Fitzjames Stephen's objection to it ; we 

 cannot alter nature's forces ! That is good determinism but bad morals 

 Ethically, is a new conception of virtue Scientifically worthless [Mr. 

 Baldwin] "Balance" is preferred to altruism by Butler at times By 

 Spencer Criticism. 



A THIRD practical or moral authority is found by Comte 

 in the doctrine of Altruism. Vivre pour autrui is to 

 be our constant inspiration and our shining goal. This 

 is really a fragment of that ethical portion of his system 

 which Comte did not live to work out. The definition 

 of Altruism is never formulated ; it is never supported 

 in argument; it is merely taken for granted. None 

 the less it exerts an immense influence in Comte's own 

 system, and has spread from it far and wide. Innumer- 

 able writers, Christian as well as non- Christian, have 

 come to employ the term " Altruism " as a synonym for 

 goodness. Such assumptions demand our scrutiny. 



The doctrine has at least two aspects, a psychological 

 and an ethical. Psychologically, it is assumed that 

 human motives fall into two classes ; one class termin- 

 ating on the self, and seeking one's own private good ; 

 the second class terminating upon others, and seeking 

 their good. It is further assumed that the division of 

 motives into these two classes is exact and exhaustive. 



