From altruism to sociality: A switch in perception |
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Authors: | Hartley Dean |
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Affiliation: | Emeritus Professor of Social Policy, London School of Economics and Political Science, London, UK |
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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. |
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Keywords: | altruism fetishism interdependence social policy sociality species-being |
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