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Adam Smith and Three Theories of Altruism

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  17 August 2016

Elias L. Khalil
Elias L. Khalil*
Affiliation:
American Institute for Economic Research, and Department of Economics, Vassar College
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Summary

Smith advanced a particular view of altruism that should prove to be relevant to the modern literature on the subject. It provided the backbone of his critique of three different theories. These three theories have been reincarnated in three modern approaches : Robert Axelrod’s “egoistic”, Gary Becker’s “egocentric”, and George Herbert Mead and Robert Frank’s ”altercentric” views. Axelrod’s approach repeats the failing, which Smith found in Mandeville’s. Becker’s theory echoes the shortcoming, which Smith identified in Hobbes’. Mead/Frank’s view duplicates the fault, which Smith uncovered in the approach of Francis Hutcheson and other figures of the Scottish Enlightenment.

Résumé

Résumé

Smith a proposé une vision particulière de l’altruisme qui devrait être pertinente pour la recherche contemporaine sur le sujet. Celle-ci constitué le socle sur lequel repose sa critique de trois différentes théories. On retrouve ces théories dans trois approches modernes : l’approche « égoiste » de Robert Axelrod, « égocentrique » de Gary Becker et « altercentrique » de Robert Franck. L’approche de Axelrod reproduit l’erreur que Smith a décelée chez Mandeville, la théorie de Becker celle qu’il a identifiée chez Hobbes et la vision de Mead/Franck celle qu’il a mise en evidence dans l’approche de Francis Hutcheson ou d’autres figures du courant écossais des Lumières.

Keywords

egoistic theoryegocentric theoryaltercentric theoryB4D0???B4D0
Type
Research Article
Information
Recherches Économiques de Louvain/ Louvain Economic Review , Volume 67 , Issue 4 , 2001 , pp. 421 - 435
Copyright
Copyright © Université catholique de Louvain, Institut de recherches économiques et sociales 2001 

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Footnotes

*

Behavioral Sciences Research Council, a division of the American Institute for Economic Research, http://www.brc-aier.org, and Department of Economics, Vassar College, elkhalil@vassar.edu. A longer version benefited from the comments of Gary Becker, Ulrich Witt, Robert Goldfarb, Mark Wilhelm, Timothy Crippen, John Davis, Thomas Nitsch, Roger Masters, participants of sessions at the University of Freiburg, University of Chicago, and American Economic Association meeting, anonymous referees, and especially Robert Frank. This work was made possible by a research fellowship from the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation. The usual disclaimer applies.

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