Is Altruism a Vice?

Abstract

To the Editor. — I write concerning the letter by Dr Adams 1 on the editorial by Dr Pellegrino 2 and on the letter by Dr Tiemstra and the reply by Dr Pellegrino. 3 Dr Adams will be hard-pressed to find classical backing for his definition of altruism either by Comte or by John Stuart Mill. Neither placed great value on self-sacrifice as an end in itself. Only when self-sacrifice produced a greater good for greater numbers of persons was it a value. The positivist school would reject Dr Adams' conclusions as immature and naive.