Altruism and Empathy, Essential Elements of Ethical Norms in Human Society

Abstract

In the present paper, we aim to analyze concepts such as empathy, morality, generosity, and sociability and their influence on the content and applicability of ethics and moral rules. We will argue that moral rules are necessary in all groups and societies and that, their content is strongly linked to our human nature. In the first part of the paper, we will refer to the traditional theories that explain how we came to accept laws and rules in our individual lives (JJ Rousseau, Thomas Hobbes). In the second part, we will argue that rules and norms are necessary for any society to function properly and, these rules (in different shapes and with various contents) have accompanied mankind since the very beginning. People did not come to accept rules at a certain moment, society has always had rules, and sociability is in our nature. The rules and laws changed through centuries and millenniums and became more complex as society evolved, but they were always there, as we always lived in groups, not alone individually.