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altruism

noun

the principle or practice of unselfish concern for or devotion to the welfare of others (opposed to egoism).
Animal Behavior. behavior by an animal that may be to its disadvantage but that benefits others of its kind, as a warning cry that reveals the location of the caller to a predator.

noun

the principle or practice of unselfish concern for the welfare of others
the philosophical doctrine that right action is that which produces the greatest benefit to others

n .

1853, “unselfishness, opposite of egoism,” from French altruisme, coined or popularized 1830 by French philosopher Auguste Comte (1798-1857), from autrui, from Old French altrui, “of or to others,” from Latin alteri, dative of alter “other” (see alter). Apparently suggested to Comte by French legal phrase l’autrui, or in full, le bien, le droit d’autrui. The -l- is perhaps a reinsertion from the Latin word.

There is a fable that when the badger had been stung all over by bees, a bear consoled him by a rhapsodic account of how he himself had just breakfasted on their honey. The badger replied peevishly, “The stings are in my flesh, and the sweetness is on your muzzle.” The bear, it is said, was surprised at the badger’s want of altruism. [“George Eliot,” “Theophrastus Such,” 1879]

Instinctive behavior that is detrimental or without reproductive benefit to the individual but that favors the survival or spread of that individual’s genes. The willingness of a subordinate member of a wolf pack to forgo mating and help care for the dominant pair’s pups is an example of altruistic behavior. While the individual may not reproduce, or may reproduce less often, its behavior helps ensure that a close relative does successfully reproduce, thus passing on a large share of the altruistic individual’s genetic material.

A selfless concern for others.