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IN DEFENSE OF ALTRUISM
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2001 ISBN 1-889431-79-6 |
IN DEFENSE OF ALTRUISM
Inadequacies of Ayn Rand's Ethics and of Psychological Egoism
By Lloyd Bishop (Virginia Tech University, USA)
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In the first part of In Defense of Altruism Professor Bishop defends the concept of altruism against those who claim it doesn’t exist by providing a summary of empirical evidence from psychology, socioeconomics, sociobiology, and political science. The evidence shows not only that altruism does indeed exist but is an important part of human evolution and “human nature”. He also demonstrates that the very notion of “universal” or “psychological egoism” is conceptually flawed. In Part II Dr. Bishop defends altruism against the attacks made against it by philosopher-novelist Ayn Rand. He focuses his attention on various logical fallacies in her argument and demonstrates the narrowness of her vision in both ethics and political philosophy.
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Lloyd Bishop is Professor Emeritus at Virginia Tech and has taught at Vanderbilt University, the University of Maine and the University of North Carolina at Wilmington. He holds a B.A. degree from Bowdoin College, where he graduated summa cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa and with highest honors in French; a Ph.D. from Columbia University, where he was awarded the university’s prestigious Cutting Fellowship; and has studied at the University of Paris as a Fulbright Scholar and at Harvard University as a Danforth Fellow. Lloyd Bishop is the author of four books and numerous articles on French literature and has received five awards for teaching excellence. Lloyd Bishop has published a second book with University Press of the South, Comic Literature in France. From the Middle Ages to the Twentieth Century. ISBN: 1-889431-91-5 2004
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