Eliezer_Yudkowsky comments on Formative Youth - Less Wrong

20 Post author: Eliezer_Yudkowsky 24 February 2009 11:02PM

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Comment author: Eliezer_Yudkowsky 25 February 2009 10:16:49PM 3 points [-]

I think we have very different concepts of altruism. Altruism is not about sacrifice. It is not even about avoiding self-benefit. It is not about sacrificing your happiness for the happiness of others, nor even gaining your happiness through the happiness of others. It is about neither spiritual benefits nor avoiding spiritual benefits. Altruism is choosing behaviors on the basis of how much they help other people. Only this. Nothing else.

That's what my adult philosophy says, these days.