[Andy_B]

“A man receiving charity practically always hates his benefactor.”

- George Orwell

"It is well not to be too indulgent or charitable with anyone. You may take it as a general rule that you will not lose a friend by refusing him a loan, but that you are very likely to do so by granting it."

- Arthur Schopenhauer

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It seems this is one of the grim realities of human nature. You can see it everywhere: the more you give someone, the more they feel entitled to take.

I've thought about this a lot, and the only explanation I've been able to come up with is that people feel condescended to when they're dependent on someone else.

Which is funny, because Western ethics pretty much emphasizes charity as like the central virtue or whatever, but from a psychological perspective, it's a somewhat dangerous thing to do.

Which in turn makes me wonder: is western style Christian ethics just ass-backward, a complete 180 reversal of the "law of the jungle" that really governs human society? If so, what can you really get by following this type of ethics?

[Handsome Creepy Eel]

I agree with those two, but in general... civilization is based on these acts of altruism, sharing and virtue. It's perhaps only in last 30-40 years that they've spiraled completely out of control and started having first diminishing, and then even negative effects.

[Samseau]

The idea with Christian ethics is to "give, expecting nothing thereof". Christians don't believe their ethics will reward them in this life, but in the next one.

[46.]

(02-24-2012 04:13 AM)Andy_B Wrote:  

Which is funny, because Western ethics pretty much emphasizes charity as like the central virtue or whatever, but from a psychological perspective, it's a somewhat dangerous thing to do.

Which in turn makes me wonder: is western style Christian ethics just ass-backward, a complete 180 reversal of the "law of the jungle" that really governs human society? If so, what can you really get by following this type of ethics?

It can be dangerous from a personal perspective, when dealing with friends for sure. But it works from a social perspective. Those statements are correct, but highly generalized; Charity has a place. In Chicago, for example, our politics are neighborhood. Local. So the people that run neighborhoods are expected to support people when then need it. Lights off? Transportation problems? Guys step in to help...not only is it good "Christianity" but the guys that help are rewarded with additional "leader" status.

The alternative is the jungle.

(02-24-2012 08:17 AM)Handsome Creepy Eel Wrote:  

I agree with those two, but in general... civilization is based on these acts of altruism, sharing and virtue. It's perhaps only in last 30-40 years that they've spiraled completely out of control and started having first diminishing, and then even negative effects.

"Civilization is based on these acts of altruism, sharing and virtue"- well put. Yeah its funny that billions of our dollars in foreign aid have been wasted to a large extent, but ironically through global capitalism the global poverty rate has fallen more in the past 40 years than the previous 5000 years combined.