Altruism and Conscience

One of the most defining, original complexities of humanity is altruism. Per Oxford Languages:

/ˈaltrooˌizəm/

noun

the belief in or practice of disinterested and selfless concern for the well-being of others.

Altruism is distinct amongst humans in that we practice it extensively. Have you ever donated to a charity and wondered what compelled you to do it? Or offer your time to a charity to help other people? Your answer might be that it made you feel good helping out.

But why is that? It does nothing for you. In fact, it can be quite the opposite. It could cost you money and time. And what do you gain from it?

If you are helping local people, you can say it helps your community. That may seem a rational reason for doing so. If we think of human communities like packs, we see animals exhibit

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the same behavior. So, perhaps you’re just doing it instinctually because it benefits your pack and your pack’s survival chances.

However, what if you give to a charity that helps people halfway across the globe? You, personally, will never benefit from your charity. Yet, something compelled you to do it. That is true altruism. It makes humanity unique.

It is commonly thought that altruism is driven by conscience. But conscience is likewise selfless. Why is it that we feel sympathy for the plight of others and feel an instinctual urge to help? Birnbaum argues that conscience is born from our instinctual need to follow Potentialism. We show conscience because we want and crave higher levels of complexity and on a subliminal level understand that that complexity is best served by protecting our existence as a whole.

The simplest answer is that Q4P drives us to do so. It is an instinct programmed into us by Q4P itself. So, why this complexity? What is its function?

Well, we know complexity, driven by Q4P, strives towards Extraordinariation. In this, altruism serves a real function we can identify. Humans have the drive to protect, grow, and increase in complexity the entire species.

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Altruism, at its core, recognizes the larger picture that humanity must thrive and grow. Sometimes, an individual must put the “group” of humankind ahead of themselves. If you consider the need for people to thrive and grow in complexity, it is a small price to pay to give a few dollars to a charity. In this light, altruism is just one of the latest weapons of Q4P in its endless quest for Extraordinariation.

This makes us unique, as far as we know, in the universe in that altruism is something a step beyond just emotion. Altruism, arguably, is based on some sense of the common good that is hard to identify by science.

The struggle isn’t hard to understand. How do you explain evolution when humans exhibit a natural tendency to sacrifice to help others get ahead? The simple answer is that science can’t. It requires a metaphysical understanding of what is happening to truly grasp the truth.

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