What is the moral code of altruism? The basic principle of altruism is that
man has no right to exist for his own sake, that service to others is the only
justification of his existence, and that self-sacrifice is his highest moral
duty, virtue and value.
Do not confuse altruism with kindness, good will or respect for the rights of
others. These are not primaries, but consequences, which, in fact, altruism
makes impossible. The irreducible primary of altruism, the basic absolute, is
self-sacrifice—which means; self-immolation, self-abnegation, self-denial,
self-destruction—which means: the self as a standard of evil, the selfless
as a standard of the good.
Do not hide behind such superficialities as whether you should or should not
give a dime to a beggar. That is not the issue. The issue is whether you do
or do not have the right to exist without giving him that dime. The issue
is whether you must keep buying your life, dime by dime, from any beggar who
might choose to approach you. The issue is whether the need of others is the
first mortgage on your life and the moral purpose of your existence. The issue
is whether man is to be regarded as a sacrificial animal. Any man of
self-esteem will answer: “No.” Altruism says: “Yes.”