As an aspiring healthcare professional, altruism has crossed
my mind on more than one occasion. I am frequently asked why I have chosen this
career and I frequently answer “to help people” – a response so automatic that
it has begun to lose meaning. I believe that a majority of medical students (and
the general public) would like to believe that the reason for their choosing to
study medicine is care-orientated – they wish to best utilise their skills and
knowledge for the aid of humankind. Yet the ambitious and egoistic qualities
consistently displayed by my peers and I leads me to question the extent of our
selfless motivation.
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| 'Bélisaire demandant l'aumône' (Belisarius begging for alms) by Jacques-Louis David - 1780 |
Before I further discuss the role of altruism in healthcare
I want to consider its origins. If we strip away human emotion, thoughts and
feelings, and consider Darwin’s genetics-based “survival of the
fittest” concept, the idea of altruism seems almost to be a hindrance for the
continuation of one’s genes, especially if the action is done at one’s own
expense. By helping someone in a way that allows their genes to be passed
down and flourish would squander energy that could be applied to the furthering
of one’s own genes. So why do it?
An argument for altruism, with regards to genetics, could be
the hope that any support provided might be returned, allowing for mutual gain
and furthering of one’s own genes as well as the genes of others. This brings
about the concept of a gene-pool or society. If everybody within a society
helps one another out, or “does their bit”, the likelihood of the society
surviving is higher and therefore the gene-pool. Perhaps altruism is a
tribal concept that has persisted to the modern-day. This may be why people are
more benign towards - and inclined to help - somebody from a similar culture/country/race
as they are, and shun/fear those of different backgrounds to increase the
survival of their own genes, either through themselves or through someone who is likely to share some of their genetic material.
It would be hard to write an article on altruism without
mentioning religion. In most organised religions altruism plays a central role.
From The Bible’s: ‘Do to others as you
would like them to do to you.’ to The Qur’an’s ‘None of you truly believes until he loves for his brother what he
loves for himself.’ However, what is the reason for selflessness in the
name of religion? If a person helps someone in the hope that they will ascend
to heaven or in the fear that they would otherwise go to hell; is the action
truly altruistic? It could be argued that such behaviour is spawned from one’s
own selfish terrors or desires. A constant “looking over one’s shoulder”: in
fear of a higher power. But what if that power came from oneself? The reason for
selfless deeds came from a fear of dishonouring or upsetting a code that comes
from yourself rather than another source? Then it would be impossible to be egotistical
without damaging oneself and therefore impossible to be purely selfish, whilst
also having the ability to be purely altruistic.
Altruism is an enigmatic concept. Open to endless interpretations
and applicable to infinite thoughts, feelings and actions. As a medical
student, it is hard not to get caught up in the idea that what I intend on
doing is selfless and that my reasons are pure. But what is of crucial
importance, and the crux of my future career as a doctor is not whether or not what I’m doing is selfless but whether why I’m doing it is truly altruistic.
Written by Roop Gill
