Reciprocity

Adams makes four main points to show the excellence of altruism. His four points are as follows: altruism allows for a much wider scope than egoism; a life which involves benevolence and love to others is much richer than a life which one only involves oneself; not caring for the goods of others is considered a morally bad thing; and altruism involves the excellence of personal relationship, those who care for others have a "larger and richer universe of relations". I agreed with every argument Adams gave for altruism and thought they explained the excellence of altruism, I felt, however, that he left out one important detail.

When one acts to benefit another, especially a loved one or a friend, one acts that way for a variety of reasons including the factor of reciprocity. If I were to agree to watch a football game with my boyfriend instead of watching the television show that I love watching, I did so because I know in the back of my mind that he will do the same for me in the future. There will be a time when I am dying to watch a chick flick and he'll be willing to sacrifice watching his game and instead watch the movie with me. This sort of reciprocity seems beneficial and though it may not be excellent in Adams terms, I think it would be worth noting. For it applies to emotional situations and hardships as well, if I'm going through something that I cannot handle on my own, I know that my friends and loved ones will be there for me in the same way that I am there for them. This aspect of altruism seems especially beneficial and I think it proves further the benefits of altruism over egoism.

Of course now that i just wrote this i noticed on the bottom of page 76 Adams says "whether or not it is reciprocated, caring for another person's good constitutes an interpersonal realtionship....". I still think its a point that shouldn't be blown over so quickly.