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Religion & Ethics NewsWeekly

Altruism

Altruism is the phenomenon of generosity to others with no expectation of reward. For many, giving is a religious requirement: the Christian Golden Rule; for Jews, the 613 “mitzvot” — good deeds to be done; for Muslims, it's “zakat” — distributing some of your income to the poor and treating others as you would like to be treated. Others just do good whether they are religious or not.