Altruism & altruistic love : science, philosophy, & religion in dialogue / edited by Stephen G. Post ... [and others].

Format:

Book

Contributor:

Post, Stephen G. (Stephen Garrard), 1951-

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Altruism.

Physical Description:

xvi, 500 pages, 2 unnumbered pages of plates : illustrations (some color) ; 25 cm

Other Title:

Altruism and altruistic love

Place of Publication:

Oxford ; New York : Oxford University Press, 2002.

Summary:

The concept of altruism, or disinterested concern for another's welfare, has been discussed by everyone from theologians to psychologists to biologists. In this book, evolutionary, neurological, developmental, psychological, social, cultural, and religious aspects of altruistic behavior are examined. It is a collaborative examination of one of humanity's essential and defining characteristics by renowned researchers from various disciplines. Their integrative dialogue illustrates that altruistic behavior is a significant mode of expression that can be studied by various scholarly methods and understood from a variety of perspectives in both the humanities and the sciences. Altruism and Altruistic Love establishes a framework for scholarship on altruism by presenting definitions, a historical overview, a review of contemporary research, and debates in various disciplines, as well as a discussion of directions for future work.

Contents:

2. Pythagorean Bodies and the Body of Altruism / Edith Wyschogrod 29

3. Morality, Altruism, and Love / Jerome Kagan 40

4. The Tradition of Agape / Stephen G. Post 51

Part II Human Motivation and Action

5. The Human Experience of Compassionate Love: Conceptual Mapping and Data from Selected Studies / Lynn G. Underwood 72

6. Addressing the Altruism Question Experimentally / C. Daniel Batson 89

7. Explicating Altruism / Kristen Renwick Monroe 106

8. Extraordinary Acts of Ordinary People: Faces of Heroism and Altruism / Samuel P. Oliner 123

Part III. Evolutionary Biology

9. A Darwinian Naturalist's Perspective on Altruism / Michael Ruse 151

10. Relating Self, Others, and Sacrifice in the Ordering of Love / Stephen J. Pope 168

11. The Fall and Rise and Fall and Rise and Fall and Rise of Altruism in Evolutionary Biology / David Sloan Wilson, Elliott Sober 182

12. Some Obstacles to Altruism / Melvin Konner 192

13. Emerging Accounts of Altruism: "Love Creation's Final Law"? / Jeffrey P. Schloss 212

Part IV The Science of Altruism

14. Implications for the Neurobiology of Love / Thomas R. Insel 254

15. A Note on the Neurobiology of Emotions / Antonio R. Damasio 264

16. Impairment of Interpersonal Social Behavior Caused by Acquired Brain Damage / Hanna Damasio 272

17. The Communication of Emotions and the Possibility of Empathy in Animals / Stephanie D. Preston, Frans B. M. de Waal 284

18. Empathy, Evolution, and Altruism / William B. Hurlbut 309

Part V Religion

19. Science and Religion on the Nature of Love / Don S. Browning 335

20. Separation, Attachment, and Altruistic Love: The Evolutionary Basis for Medical Caring / Gregory L. Fricchione 346

21. Compassion out of Wisdom: Buddhist Perspectives from the Past toward the Human Future / Ruben L. F. Habito 362

Concluding Summary: Future Research Needs on Altruism and Altruistic Love / Stephen G. Post, Lynn G. Underwood 379

Annotated Bibliography: Research on Personality and Individual Differences in Altruism / Shelley Dean Kilpatrick, Michael E. McCullough 387.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages 475-484) and index.

ISBN:

0195143582

0195146689

OCLC:

45582537