From altruism to sociality: a switch in perception

Hartley Dean

LSE Research Online Documents on Economics from London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library

Abstract: The article critically reviews concepts and uses of the term altruism in relation to the emergence of the capitalist welfare state. It argues that altruism may be regarded as a fetishized representation of ‘sociality’ and that notions of altruism tend to obscure or distort understandings of the essential social interdependence that characterises humanity as a species. The article reaches back to anthropological evidence, to religious and philosophical influences, and to insights from scientific inquiry and it makes a case for a humanistic switch in perspective within the study of social policy.

Keywords: altruism; fetishism; interdependence; social policy; sociality; species-being (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: J1 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 12 pages
Date: 2023-04-01
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-hme
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Published in International Journal of Social Welfare, 1, April, 2023, 32(2), pp. 256 - 267. ISSN: 1369-6866

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:ehl:lserod:115643

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