Is Altruism a Vice?

Abstract

To the Editor. — In Dr Pellegrino's editorial 1 and Dr Tiemstra's 2 and Dr Sanke's 3 letters on altruism, self-interest, and medical ethics, they accepted altruism as a value, but they disagreed on the means to encourage it and about the obligation of the profession for such behavior. On the other hand, Dr Adams 4 presented altruism as a vice. He wrote as follows: The basic principle of altruism is that man has no right to exist for his own sake, that service to others is the only justification for existence, and that self-sacrifice is the highest moral duty, virtue, and value. Do not confuse altruism with kindness, goodwill, or the respect for the rights of others. These are not primaries, but consequences that, in fact, altruism makes impossible. It seems to me that Dr Adams presented a narrow view of altruism. I prefer to think of altruism as