Altruism

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Altruism is concern for the well-being and life of others independently of personal benefit or reciprocity. The word altruism was popularised (and possibly coined) by the French philosopher Auguste Comte (1798–1857) c. 1830 in French, as altruisme, as an antonym of egoism. He derived it from the Italian altrui, which in turn was derived from Latin alteri, meaning "other people" or "somebody else". Altruism may be considered a synonym of selflessness, the opposite of self-centeredness. Altruism is an important moral value in many cultures, ideologies, and religions. It can expand beyond care for humans to include consideration for other sentient beings and future generations. Altruism in biology, as observed in populations of organisms, is when an individual performs an action at a cost to itself (in terms of e.g. pleasure and quality of life, time, probability of survival or reproduction) that benefits, directly or indirectly, another individual, without the expectation of reciprocity...

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