A Study On Scientific Interpretation Of Altruism And Its Mechanism Of Cultural Inheritance

After Auguste Comte, the positivism philosopher and moralist in the 19th century, came out with the concept of Altruism, it took a positive effect on the restraining the further expanding of extreme egoism, money worship and epicurean. So, as the behavioral theory of ethics, altruism developed to a judgmental criterion for human nature and the goal of virtue and behavior. However, a long term argument was caused between altruism and egoism in the history of western ethics because of altruism's unilateral emphases on sacrificing for others and completely neglecting of individual benefits, and altruism never get out of the ethic dilemma between moral and benefit. Biologists utilized altruism to research of animal corporation behaviors since 1940s, which explained evolution mechanism of animal altruism behavior and the relationship between altruism and egoism. When social biology begin to analysis the origination and evolution mechanism of altruism by the angle of biology, people gradually realized a widen content of altruism. There is not only pure altruism that one sacrifices himself, but also a reciprocal altruism which is the foundation of the corporation in human society. Meanwhile, the economists came to a common conclusion by explaining that altruism is good for pursuing a maximum efficiency in view of economic benefit and behavior motivation. The research achievement made by biologists and economists is the theoretical foundation for a pursuit of scientific altruism demonstration in wider academic view. Socialists paid more attention on sociality of altruism, it emphasized that all behaviors including altruism behaviors are not inherited but learned and educated posterior. Some scholars attempted to explain the origination and mechanism of cultural inheritance of altruism from the aspects of genes and culture, and they put forward several different hypothesis. The all-round demonstration and cultural heritage study clarified the beneficial relationship between altruism, egoism and society, the changing of altruism only means traditional views on self-sacrificing, emphasized the correct and moral behavior of chasing self benefit on the basis of working with others, thus over passed the judging standard of altruism and egoism and set up a new concept that stick on altruism is for a better egoism. It has a significant realistic meaning for the complete understanding of altruism, correctly dispose the relationship between benefit and ethic, altruism and egoism, individual and collective; solving social conflict; harmonizing benefits in all levels of society; rebuilding social ethic rules; establishing a harmonious socialism society.