Project Gutenberg 1998-06-01 Public domain in the USA. 271 Cardozo, Benjamin N. (Benjamin Nathan) 1870 1938 Cardozo, Benjamin Nathan The Altruist in Politics Produced by Tom Weiss, and David Widger "The Altruist in Politics" by Benjamin N. Cardozo is a philosophical discourse presented as a commencement address at Columbia College in the late 19th century. This piece serves as a critique of altruistic doctrines in politics, particularly the principles of communism and socialism, as Cardozo explores how these ideologies impact human behavior and societal structures. The work reflects the intellectual climate of the time, grappling with themes of individualism versus collectivism and the psychological and practical implications of altruism in governance. In "The Altruist in Politics," Cardozo systematically argues against the principles of communism, positing that its ideals are impractical and potentially harmful. He asserts that altruism, when applied as a governing principle, undermines individual effort and creativity, ultimately eroding the very qualities that drive human progress. Through historical examples, he highlights the failures of past attempts at communal living while critiquing the notion that collective well-being can be achieved at the expense of individual rights and ambitions. Cardozo warns that a society governed by altruistic principles would evolve into a mechanistic state, sacrificing personal freedom for material equality and powerful governance, resulting in a stifling of the human spirit and a regression of societal development. (This is an automatically generated summary.) Reading ease score: 45.9 (College-level). Difficult to read. en Law Judicial process K Text Category: Essays, Letters & Speeches Category: Philosophy & Ethics Category: Politics 38674 2025-07-01T09:10:20.209038 text/html 33876 2013-01-31T12:16:08 text/html; charset=us-ascii 87325 2025-07-01T09:10:24.708982 application/epub+zip 86085 2025-07-01T09:10:22.800002 application/epub+zip 75734 2025-07-01T09:10:21.763091 application/epub+zip 177181 2025-07-01T09:10:26.097979 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 171102 2025-07-01T09:10:24.089014 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 135702 2022-09-01T10:33:33.145787 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 31554 2023-10-01T08:35:59.381421 text/plain 15672 2025-07-01T09:10:26.214954 application/rdf+xml 12718 2025-07-01T09:10:22.248984 image/jpeg 3500 2025-07-01T09:10:22.006989 image/jpeg 85126 2025-07-01T09:10:20.214980 application/octet-stream application/zip Archives containing the RDF files for *all* our books can be downloaded at https://book.klll.cc/wiki/Gutenberg:Feeds#The_Complete_Project_Gutenberg_Catalog en.wikipedia