As regards whether 'altruism' exists I think I have probably 'marked my cards' as a hedonist in other threads (i.e believing that all human actions are motivated by self-interest), but that being said I still believe that altruism exists. Perhaps we need to shift the goalposts a little and, rather than thinking of altruism as an 'unselfish' act, instead think of it as the capacity of an individual to gain pleasure from helping others. So, if I do a good deed for a stranger, and that makes me feel good about myself, it is still altruistic as the primary cause of my action was to generate pleasure from helping another. This is as opposed to either 1) not helping the stranger or 2) helping the stranger but grumbling and groaning and considering it a chore or a 'duty'.
