Encyclopedia of Bioethics, Vol. 5 (3rd Edition)

Stephen G. Post

Reference

Macmillan Library Reference

The concept of altruism, or disinterested concern for another's welfare, has been discussed by everyone from theologians to psychologists to biologists.  In this book, evolutionary, neurological, developmental, psychological, social, cultural, and religious aspects of altruistic behavior are examined.  It is a collaborative examination of one of humanity's essential and defining characteristics by renowned researchers from various disciplines.  Their integrative dialogue illustrates that altruistic behavior is a significant mode of expression that can be studied by various scholarly methods and understood from a variety of perspectives in both the humanities and the sciences.  Altruism and Altruistic Love establishes a framework for scholarship on altruism by presenting definitions, a historical overview, a review of contemporary research, and debates in various disciplines, as well as a discussion of directions for future work.

Altruism and Altruistic Love: Science, Philosophy, and Religion in Dialogue

Health, Fitness & Dieting

Jeffrey P. Schloss

lynn-underwood

Mental Health

Oxford University Press, USA

The world's religions affirm it to be so and recent research across a number of disciplines tell us that "Helping others not only benefits those we assist but is good for us as well." The recent and astonishingly generous outpouring of help and donations in response to the earthquake in Haiti is a clear demonstration of this phenomenon, but what if we could be convinced to make helping others a way of life, even when times are hard? <ul> <li>Post is author of the widely praised Why Good Things Happen to Good People</li> <li>Filled with inspirational anecdotes about the transformative power of doing good</li> <li>The author is a leader in the study of altruism, compassion, and love as well as the President of the Institute for Research on Unlimited Love</li> <li>Beautiful packaging, ideal for gift giving</li> </ul> The Hidden Gifts of Helping Others will leave you with the unshakable feeling that the world is an essentially good place.

The Hidden Gifts of Helping: How the Power of Giving, Compassion, and Hope Can Get Us Through Hard Times

Jossey-Bass

In this uplifting new book, author Stephen G. Post explores the mysteries and the wonder of Godly love€”the all important love that is at once personal, unconditional, unlimited, generative, and omnipresent. The title alludes to Isaiah 35, to the way in which Godly love is said to plant a rose in our hearts precisely when we feel most like a dry desert with no more love of our own to give.Post draws on his own life experiences as well as his work at the Institute for Research on Unlimited Love, as he intersperses personal anecdotes with spiritual truths and research on human happiness. In the process, he defines the concept of Godly love and illustrates how important it can be in our lives€”not only emotionally and spiritually, but physically as well. "Godly love," he writes, "is the only foundation in the universe that we can really lean on."We all have deserts in life, so we all need Godly love. Without it, the downward slide to cynicism, hostility, and

Godly Love: A Rose Planted in the Desert of Our Hearts

Self-Help

Happiness

Templeton Press

What if we could prove that love heals mental illness and is vital to successful therapeutic outcomes in all areas of health care? What if we could prove that people who live more for others than for self have greater psychological well-being?In Unlimited Love, Post examines the question of what we mean by "unlimited love"; his focus is not on "falling" into love, which is "altogether natural, easy, and delusional." Rather, he focuses on the difficult learned ascent that "begins with insight into the need for tolerance of ubiquitous imperfection, and matures into unselfish concern, gratitude, and compassion." He considers social scientific and evolutionary perspectives on human altruistic motivations, and he analyzes these perspectives in a wide interdisciplinary context at the interface of science, ethics, and religion.In Unlimited Love, Stephen Post presents an argument for the creation of a new interdisciplinary field for the study of love and unlimited love, "engaging great minds and hoping to shape the human future away from endless acrimony, hatred, and violence."

Unlimited Love: Altruism, Compassion, and Service

Relationships

Research on Altruism and Love is a compendium of annotated bibliographies reviewing literature and research studies on the nature of love. An essay introduces each of the annotated bibliographies.
A variety of literature either directly related to science-and-love issues or supporting literature for those issues is covered in the Religious Love Interfaces with Science section. This annotated bibliography is unique in that it approaches the field from a decidedly religious perspective. It includes classical expositions of love that continue to influence contemporary scholars, including Platos' work on eros, the work and words of Jesus, Aristotle, Augustine of Hippo, Martin Luther, Kierkegaard, and Ghandi, among others. The contemporary discussion includes Anders Nygren's theological arguments in his classic, Agape and Eros; Pitirim Sorokin; and others. An issue that often emerges in this literature is the question of the nature and definition of love.
A second annotated bibliography features current empirical research in the field of Personality and Altruism, with a focus on social psychology. Among the topics covered are the altruistic personality, altruistic behavior, empathy, helping behavior, social responsibility, and volunteerism. Methodologies are diverse, and studies include experiments, local and national surveys, naturalistic observation, and combinations of these.
The Evolutionary Biology annotated bibliography covers the most significant works on altruism and love in the field of biology and evolutionary psychology.
The fourth and final annotated bibliography in this volume is entitled Sociology of Faith-Based Volunteerism. Here the focus is on literature on the interface of helping behavior and religious organizations, as well as major pieces on voluntary associations.

Research on Altruism and Love: An Annotated Bibliography of Major Studies in Psychology, Sociology, Evolutionary Biology, and Theology

Politics & Social Sciences

Byron Johnson

Michael E. McCullough

Philosophy

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Books by Stephen G. Post