Altruism

Experimental Tests for the Existence of Altruism

Author(s): C. Daniel Batson

Source: PSA: Proceedings of the Biennial Meeting of the Philosophy of Science Association,

Vol. 1992, Volume Two: Symposia and Invited Papers (1992), pp. 69-78

Experimental Tests for the Existence of Altruisml

C. Daniel Batson

University of Kansas

I wish to describe a program of research designed to provide experimental evidence

for or against the existence of altruism in humans (also see, Batson 1991).

Whether such an enterprise is at all newsworthy-or at all worth doing-depends, of

course, on what one means by altruism.

I have worked with the following definition: Altruism is a motivational state with

the ultimate goal of increasing another's welfare. I have juxtaposed altruism to egoism,

defined as a motivational state with the ultimate goal of increasing one's own

welfare. Altruism and egoism, thus defined, have much in common. Each refers to

goal-directed motivation; each is concerned with the ultimate goal of this motivation;

and for each, the ultimate goal is to increase someone's welfare. These common features

provide the context for highlighting the crucial difference: Whose welfare is the

ultimate goal-another person's or one's own? These definitions are, I believe, true

to the egoism-altruism debate in Western moral philosophy.