altruism 的词源

1853年，“无私奉献，关心他人福祉，与egoism相对”，源自法语altruisme，由法国哲学家奥古斯特·孔德于1830年创造或推广，结合了-ism和autrui（古法语altrui）意为“他人”，来自拉丁语alteri，是alter的与格形式，意为“其他人”（参见alter）。法语词中的-l-可能是从拉丁语词中重新引入的。

If we define altruism as being all action which, in the normal course of things, benefits others instead of benefiting self, then, from the dawn of life, altruism has been no less essential than egoism. Though primarily it is dependent on egoism, yet secondarily egoism is dependent on it. [Herbert Spencer, "The Data of Ethics," 1879]

如果我们将利他主义定义为在正常情况下，所有那些有益于他人而非自我的行为，那么从生命之初，利他主义与自私主义一样，都是不可或缺的。尽管它主要依赖于自私主义，但自私主义在某种程度上也依赖于利他主义。[赫伯特·斯宾塞，《伦理学数据》，1879年]

There is a fable that when the badger had been stung all over by bees, a bear consoled him by a rhapsodic account of how he himself had just breakfasted on their honey. The badger replied peevishly, "The stings are in my flesh, and the sweetness is on your muzzle." The bear, it is said, was surprised at the badger's want of altruism. ["George Eliot," "Theophrastus Such," 1879]

有一个寓言，说的是当獾被蜜蜂叮得满身是伤时，一只熊通过热情洋溢地讲述自己刚刚享用蜜蜂蜂蜜的早餐来安慰他。獾不满地回答：“刺痛在我的肉体上，而甜蜜却在你的嘴上。”据说，熊对獾缺乏利他主义感到惊讶。[乔治·艾略特，《西奥弗拉斯图斯·苏赫》，1879年]