Altruism

Definition

An exosocial act of assistance to another in order to create egalitarian balance.

Examples

Sharing food with a stranger during a famine without expectation of return. Teaching skills to community members to reduce collective vulnerability. Offering emotional support to someone in crisis with no personal agenda.

Theory

Binding Chaos distinguishes altruism from charity. Altruism creates egalitarian balance — it restores equilibrium without creating a power hierarchy between giver and receiver. Charity, by contrast, establishes the giver as endo-ideal and the receiver as negative image, deepening inequality even as it appears to help.

Origin

Adopted from mainstream philosophy by Heather Marsh and refined within Binding Chaos to emphasise the egalitarian intention as the key distinguishing feature.

Etymology

From French ‘altruisme’, coined by philosopher Auguste Comte from Italian ‘altrui’ (of or for others), from Latin ‘alteri’ (dative of ‘alter’, meaning other). Comte introduced it as the opposite of egoism.

Synonyms

Selfless giving, Mutual aid, Benevolence, Generosity

Antonyms

Charity (as defined in Binding Chaos), Exploitation, Predation, Self-interest

Related Terms

Charity (contrasted), Exosocialism, Gratitude, Connection, Equivalence