Regarding the natural disasters, would you include cases like Hurricane Katrina where it was painfully obvious that people should just get out of the way, and then many didn't? Some horrors could probably be classified as abject stupidity.

An interesting bit of linguistic history, Mike.

Regarding the willingness of the one doing the altruism, I would analogize it to being similar to the difference between socialism and Communism. Socialism asks for the sanction of the victim. Communism dispenses with such pleasantries and uses brute force.

By MikeMarotta's definition, those living to support the tyrants are altruists, albeit unwilling ones for the most part. I would call such people subjects, serfs, or slaves, depending on the degree of oppression. I agree that altruism does not mean being nice to other people, but doesn't it have to be given willingly?

The tyrants, however, are living for themselves. While AR correctly pointed out selfishness' virtue, I see nothing virtuous or altruistic about the tyrant's actions themselves. Unlike some issues, on this issue, I am willing to be corrected, but I think it would a reach to call a tyrant's actions either virtuous or altruistic.

Ayn Rand understood altruism in its original meaning from Auguste Comte, who coined the word. Comte advocated for a secular priesthood to rule humanity. Everyone would live for everyone else. Altruism does not mean being nice to other people. It means _living for other people_.

"Postivism alone holds at once both a noble and true language when it urges us to _live for others_. This, the definitive formula of human morality, gives a direct sanction exclusively to our instincts of benevolence, the common source of happiness and of duty. Implicitly and indirectly it sanctions our personal instincts, as the necessary conditions of our existence, with the proviso that they must be subordinate to those of altruism. With this limitation, we are even ordered to gratify our personal instincts, with the view of fitting ourselves to be better servants of Humanity, whose we are entirely." -- Catechism of Positive Religion (Congreve translation, 1858.)

The word "altruism" did not exist before Comte invented his "Religion of Humanity." I have a facsimile edition of Noah Webster's 1828 _American Dictionary of the English Language_. The word "altruism" is not listed

Accumulating or demonstrating the power of tyrants is a perfect example of altruism. I challenge you to cite a major horror of any proportion that was committed for non-altruistic reasons. Natural disasters do not count because they are metaphysical, not man-made.

Personal responsibility.
Cheers

Restraint?

As much as I like AR, there were major horrors of history that were committed for non-altruistic reasons. There were some that would be under the category of natural disasters, and certainly some that were committed to accumulate or demonstrate the power of certain tyrants. However, she is right in that many horrors did have an altruistic motive.

Hence the origin of that famous old saw....

The road to Hell is paved with good intentions.

"The common good be damned!"

"Appeal to authority" is the most abused 'failure' in the debate of an argument. When it is used to support a scheme in the name of the public good, you automatically know that it cannot stand on its own merit, doing greater harm to the very people it is intended to 'help'. Personal destruction to economic ruin to decimation through war.
Cheers