Does Altruism Actually Exist?

Episode Outline:
00:00 – Introducing altruism and whether good deeds are ever truly selfless
01:39 – What altruism means versus egoism
02:39 – Why Bart started researching altruism
05:34 – Altruism in the Bible, evolution, and human survival
08:09 – Altruism in Greek and Roman moral philosophy
10:57 – Jesus’ revolutionary expansion of “love your neighbor”
12:57 – How early Christians carried Jesus’ teaching forward
17:22 – Can altruism ever be truly selfless?
24:03 – Obligation, motivation, and helping strangers
31:39 – How Christian altruism shaped hospitals, charity, and social welfare

Episode Description
Picture this: a man in his 80s trying to cross the street, but the traffic doesn’t pause for long enough for him to cross. A young woman notices his difficulty, and runs over to help. Does the young woman get any kind of benefit from her action, or is it entirely thankless? Today, Dr. Bart Ehrman and I are talking about altruism. Is it possible to do a good deed without experiencing some kind of benefit?

Also watch these episodes:
Paul and Jesus: The Great Divide; Did Paul and Jesus Have the Same Religion?
https://ehrman.thrivecart.com/paul/

The Parables of Jesus: Jewish Insights into Gospel Ethics, Humor, and Provocation
https://ehrman.thrivecart.com/parables-of-jesus/

Jesus and the Old Testament
https://courses.bartehrman.com/jesus-and-the-old-testament