The Altruism Reader
Selections from Writings on Love, Religion, and Science
Thomas Jay Oord
This anthology brings together, for the first time leading essays and book chapters from theologians, philosophers, and scientists on their research relating to ethics, altruism, and love. Because the general consensus today is that scholarship in moral theory requires empirical research, the arguments of the leading scholars presented in this book will be particularly important to those examining issues in love, ethics, religion, and science.
- Price:
- $39.95
- ISBN 13:
- 978-1-59947-127-3
- Size:
- 6 x 9
- Page Count:
- 384
- Date Published:
- November 1, 2007
- Price:
- $19.99
- ISBN 13:
- 978-1-59947-221-8
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This anthology brings together, for the first time, leading essays and book chapters from theologians, philosophers, and scientists on their research on ethics, altruism, and love. Because the general consensus today is that scholarship in moral theory requires empirical research, the arguments of the leading scholars presented in this book will be fundamental to those examining issues in love, ethics, religion, and science.
The first half of The Altruism Reader offers essential selections from religious texts, leading contemporary scholars, and cutting-edge ethicists. Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Islam, and Judaism are represented. Among the highly respected writers are Thomas Aquinas, the Dalai Lama, Thich Nhat Hanh, John Polkinghorne, Stephen Pope, Louis Fischer, Amira Shamma Abdin, Katharine Doob Sakenfeld, and Daniel Day Williams.
The book’s second half features primary readings on love and altruism from the sciences. Here the focus is on anthropology, psychology, sociology, biology, and neurology, with material written by Daniel C. Batson, David Sloan Wilson, Robert Wright, Stephen G. Post, Robert Axelrod, Richard Dawkins, Holmes Rolston III, and other renowned scientists and philosophers.
“Virtually all people act—and often talk—as if they have some clue about love. We speak about loving food, falling in love, loving God, feeling loved, and loving a type of music. We say that love hurts, love waits, love stinks, and love means never having to say you’re sorry. We use the word and its derivatives in a wide variety of ways . . . . My definition of love is this: To love is to act intentionally, in sympathetic response to others (including God), to promote well-being.” —Thomas Jay Oord
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Back to TabsPreface vii
Part I: Defining Love
1. The Core Meaning of “Love” / 3
Stephen G. Post
2. The Love Racket: Defining Love and Agape for the Love-and-Science Research Program / 10
Thomas Jay Oord
Part II: Ancient Religious Writings on Love
3. The Hebrew Scriptures: Psalms 100, 107 / 31
4. The Dhammapada: Joy / 34
5. The Bhagavadgita: The Religion of Faith / 36
6. The New Testament: Luke 10:25–37, 1 Corinthians 13, 1 John 4:7–21 / 39
7. The Qur’an: The Cow / 42
8. Teaching Christianity: On Christian Doctrine / 44
Augustine of Hippo
9. Summa Theologica: The Treatise on Charity / 55
Thomas Aquinas
10. Agape and Eros: Excerpts / 60
Anders Nygren
11. Love in Any Language / 86
Thomas Jay Oord
Part III: Contemporary Religious Writings on Love
12. Loyalty: The Calling of the People of God / 95
Katharine Doob Sakenfeld
13. Understanding Our Fundamental Nature / 117
His Holiness the Dalai Lama
14. Ahimsa: The Path of Harmlessness / 129
Thich Nhat Hanh
15. The Incarnation / 133
Daniel Day Williams
16. Agapeistic Ethics / 148
Gene Outka
17. Philia / 156
Edward Collins Vacek
18. Kenotic Creation and Divine Action / 177
John Polkinghorne
19. Kenosis: Gender Connotations / 183
Sarah Coakley
20. Love in Islam / 188
Amira Shamma Abdin
Part IV: The Physics of Altruism
21. Ethics, Cosmology, and Theories of God / 201
Nancey Murphy and George Ellis
Part V: The Biology of Altruism
22. Evolutionary Ethics / 213
Robert Wright
23. The Selfish Gene: Excerpts / 226
Richard Dawkins
24. The Robustness of Reciprocity / 237
Robert Axelrod
25. Getting Along / 242
Frans de Waal
26. Bentham’s Corpse / 263
Elliott Sober and David Sloan Wilson
27. The Four Paths to Cooperation / 274
Lee Alan Dugatkin
Part VI: Altruism in the Social Sciences
28. Affect and Prosocial Responding / 285
Nancy Eisenberg, Sandra Losoya, and Tracy Spinrad
29. Aversive-Arousal Reduction / 313
Daniel C. Batson
30. Triangulating Love / 331
Robert J. Sternberg
31. Saving Others: Was It Opportunity or Character? 348
Samuel P. Oliner and Pearl M. Oliner
32. Progress through Love 369
Stephen G. Post
Back to TabsA remarkable book looking at altruism from scientific, philosophical, and religious perspectives that is particularly important given the public debate surrounding selfish genes and atheism. . . . There is much food for thought in this exemplary volume, hailed by Stephen Post as a masterpiece. —Scientific and Medical Network, (Winter 2008)
The editor is a professor of philosophy and theology at Northwest Nazarene University. The first three sections provide material from religious traditions, theologians, and moral philosophers. Section one gives definitions of love, and section two presents ancient religious writing from various world scriptures and Augustine, Aquinas, and Nygren. Section three examines contemporary religious writings: loyalty, human nature, ahimsa, incarnation, ethics, kenosis, and love in Islam. The next three sections describe scientific research on love. Section four has one chapter on the physics of altruism, and section six involves altruism in the social sciences. These last two sections present studies from psychology, sociology, anthropology, neurology, socio-biology, and non-human primate studies. The editor provides a summary to begin each of the 32 chapters. —Theology Digest
