Abstract
When asked why he contributed to a beggar, and was this not due to Christ’s commandment, Thomas Hobbes responded that he did so “with the sole intent of relieving his own misery at the sight of the beggar” (Losco, 1986: 323). This statement captures a belief held for centuries by many social philosophers and social scientists, by the public-at-large, and championed by the neoclassical school of thought: that human behavior can be explained by self-interest. Altruistic acts, to the extent that they are recognized at all, are depicted merely as another means of pursuing one’s own interest.
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Etzioni, A. (1991). Beyond Self-Interest. In: Weimer, D.L. (eds) Policy Analysis and Economics. Recent Economic Thought Series, vol 23. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-011-3866-6_4
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-011-3866-6_4
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