Terra Mater

Terra Mater 

 - Mark van Vuuren

Oil
Ice
Weather
Depleted
Unwelcome carbon
Gaia cries for symbiosis



(This poem is written in the Fibonacci form, i.e. syllables per line 1,1,2,3,5,8, etc.)

If it ain’t baroque, don’t fix it*

 If it ain’t baroque, don’t fix it*

 - Mark van Vuuren

Unreliable sources insist the word Spring derives from the Latin “Awake”. I concur.

Three horribly cold and unnecessarily long months finally done. Along with it goes the daily dose of sick building syndrome, crowded lifts divided between the sneezers and the non-breathers, and the now-monotonous taste of gluwein.

The mould of Winter has melted. The Big Sleep is over.

The purpose of what you are reading is to highlight the pleasures of baroque music in Spring. Any given Spring Sunday with a picnic basket containing a collection of wines, cheese and bikkies, somewhere in the great outdoors (including front lawns) is quite incomplete without the gel of humanity: baroque music.

Baroque mirrors Spring with its grandiose openings, optimism, sprightly pace, busy cacophony of activities and enthusiastic endeavour. The following recommended collection of baroque compositions is presented in alphabetical order:

Boccherini: Minuet

Handel: Hallelujah chorus
Handel: The arrival of the Queen of Sheba
Handel: Water music – Alla hornpipe
Handel: Zadok the priest

JS Bach: Air ‘on the G string’
JS Bach: Brandenburg concerto No.2 – allegro assai
JS Bach: Brandenburg concerto No.3 – allegro
JS Bach: Orchestral suite no.2 - Badinerie

Telemann: Rejouissance

Vivaldi: Concero for lute and two violins – allegro giusto
Vivaldi: Flute concerto in D – Il gardellino
Vivaldi: The four seasons –allegro (Spring) – Nigel Kennedy recording, of course; listen out for the spinet.

As an extra, Albinoni’s Adagio is included; although solemn it is still baroque, and quite magnificent.

In conclusion, one can talk of passion or one can experience passion; Spring is here, the time is nigh (no pun intended, perhaps).
- fin -

* Title used with kind permission from Albert de Klerk

The Martians are coming!

 The Martians are coming!

 - Mark van Vuuren (1999)

The following is a parody. Not to be taken seriously. If you don’t have a sense of humour then turn the page and don’t come back!

It’s about time the Martians pitched. The time wasted in man hours watching made-for-television dramatisations of alien sightings and alien abductions exceeds the life span of a small nation. The number of trees cut down to put this drivel into print is enough to cover Paraguay twice over. And I’m sick of thinking to myself, “Mrs Joan Koruski of Tampa Arizona would never lie, like the other 10 000 annual bona fide sightings.” The Martians owe it to us to pitch en masse. The Millennium would make a good entrance. The once-in-a-thousand-years Millennium party is on a Saturday; so Sunday is definitely a no-no; Monday we find out about Millennium mainframe bugs and how long our Mastercards are out of action for. Tuesday? Yes, Tuesday’s good. So they pitch and the government denies it. “You didn’t see nuthin’. Ten million people are seein’ thangs.” Four days later Bill Clinton grips the podium and hesitantly acknowledges the Martian presence to the nation: “Yip.” He knew about them for quite a while but kept quiet because of concerns regarding fundamental changes to economics, ethics, communication skills and medicine. Here’s why:

On economics, have any UFO sightings described a saucer shaped object with “SHELL” or “Marlboro” printed on the side of it? These guys don’t advertise. They don’t need to. Not because they have enough money, but because they have no money. If they landed here and registered as voters some Liberal klingon is going to sell an idea like “Let’s share the world’s wealth. If we can share everything, earthlings can too!” The debts are offset from all the cash and what’s left is divided by the number of people on earth. To prevent currency arguments payment is made with food. So we each get a loaf of bread and a Coke and the day after this is announced the price of Coke shoots up.

If sharing the wealth won’t show the benefits of a cash free society the Martians will then identify the particular gene which makes us so very profit oriented. Once removed it leaves us without that hell-bent urge to make a buck. It also leaves one with communistic tendencies, i.e. unable to read a balance sheet. Our typical year begins with the vision “This year we just gotta make another 10% on turnover!”; the government has the same vision in terms of higher taxes. The year hasn’t even started and you’re 10% overworked, overtaxed, still in the same income bracket and making less. But if nobody had the urge to work for money and only worked to satisfy one’s daily needs, which included intellectual stimulation, we’d work less, stress less and enjoy life more. Now just to convince everybody to have their genes altered...

Regarding ethics, the only celebrity not seen in Reeboks, wearing designer denims, a whoosh T-shirt and Raybans, is a Martian. They don’t do fashion. In fact, they don’t do clothing. Being naked, they save a fortune on clothing. Fashion is nothing but a cruel marketing ploy. Are side-burns and bell-bottoms innate representations of our psyche? If fashion is defined as the mating apparel of the nation it’s astounding any population growth took place in the sixties. The Martians come, and clothing manufacturers and a great deal of shopping angst goes. One particular niche of clothing manufacturers will be grateful for the change: those guys who make bright blue and bright green crympolene drip-dry wash-n-wear double breasted suits will finally have a decent night’s sleep. As the suit was introduced on April 01 1948 as an April Fool’s joke, these guys have been praying for the day they could stop production without embarrassing the populace!

Regarding communication skills, for a group of space travellers who don’t have any money and wear no clothing and yet can find their way to earth, they’re doing pretty well. The secret: mental telepathy. Not only can they hear without you speaking, but a practising telepathee can also identify the disposition of the telepathor. He can sense if you’re lying, immoral or just plain nasty. Why would we need a court of law if we can sense intuitively if a person’s actions are of disreputable intent? And the phone bill will also become a thing of the past.

Medically-speaking, mental telepathy exists for blatant messages but also for subliminal messages from one’s body, like an ache. The aching Marshy doesn’t have to explain to Doc Martian how and why his ache was gotten: the Doc just knows, and treats it. And the patient doesn’t pay since he’s got no money. What incentive would Doc Martian have for curing his fellow pals? For Voyager miles? That’s just a rumour. Two double by-passes and he scores a light year is a lie. He does it for free. Any malady is seen as an opportunity to identify and destroy disease which is a victory for “the People”. Diseased Marshies are in demand! Suppose Doc Martian was only interested in Voyager miles his patients would recognise that particular shade of purple in his psyche and boycott him. Way to go, Comrades.

Economically, a world without money means less work and less stress. As for fashion, the Martian school will appeal to all tastes, affordably. That a phasing out period will raise the demand for fig leaves is not the issue. Ethically, why wear clothes if we’re born naked? If we’re to practice telepathy a lot more would be done with a lot less rhetoric. Alleged politicians may find themselves in a dilemma. Medically-speaking, here’s yet another argument against treating the symptom and not the cause. The future is looking roses: I’ll have no money problems and still have my health, so just who is this government protecting?

Thirty years on: Most of today’s telepathic messages are 3D adverts for holidays on Mars. Going for a fifteen minute spin around the globe is all the rage, and looking cool is defined by hanging out el nakedo. No more language barriers, no more junkmail and no mortgage. Did we really have to wait so long in order to enjoy the good life? That’s the last time I vote for an earthling!

The little roller that could

 The little roller that could

- Mark van Vuuren

In the grounds of my complex, against a Willow tree, leant a rusted old roller. It had served its purpose on the local cricket pitch, and, like fifty years ago, still weighed 500 pounds. Visitors to the garden noted how it added character; I noted how it had never been stolen.

The problem with an old roller is that it should only be used in conjunction with a comprehensive medical aid, which I did not have. The garden didn’t need rolling either, so how best to get rid of it but through an incentivised approach: Would you like to buy a roller? If you collect it today we’ll give it to you at half-price.

Cedric always wanted a roller; he came around, gardener in tow, within the half-hour overly prepared in a 1976 1200 Datsun pickup.

We stood around the roller, which stood alongside the pickup: 600 mm ground clearance was required but we couldn’t pick it up. We couldn’t pick it up, we agreed with each other, as the roller didn’t come with adequate handles, nor with an instruction booklet.

So, imagine the following factors from which to draw up a strategy:

- The roller is alongside a Willow tree.
- The Willow tree is alongside a cement driveway.
- The cement driveway dips half a metre every three metres.

Strategic options that come to mind:

1. Keep the roller.
2. Hire a crane.
3. Let the roller roll down the driveway, onto a ramp and into the pickup.
4. Tie a rope to the roller, throw the rope over a branch of the Willow tree, pull the rope to raise the roller and swing the roller onto the pickup.
5. Tie the thingy to the goodie, transmogrify the whatsisname and McGuyver the chappie onto the pickup.

Using the HP19Bii problem solver and a crystal ball, the results were as follows:

1. The body corporate wanted to get rid of the roller so badly they brought a new trustee into their circle to only action this request; me.
2. The crane came along, picked up the roller, dropped it onto the pickup from 1600mm above ground level, and bent the chassis. Cedric lost his pickup, but the roller was fine.
3. The roller rolled down the driveway, cracking the cement; P=MV (i.e. Momentum equals Mass times Velocity) so you’ll understand as I explain how the ramp into the pickup snapped and the roller got wedged under the said vehicle. We could not pull it out as we were pulling uphill, and we couldn’t drive the pickup away as the rear-wheels were in the air.
4. The branch snapped, the roller dropped and sank into the bowels of the earth. With only part of the roller showing we concluded this would be the basis for a new rockery.
5. I tied a few lengths of rope to the roller, put them through the first fork in the tree and tied these to the back of a SECOND vehicle, accelerated forward (well-aware that the only force keeping the chassis attached to the bodywork was the power of prayer) to the point where the roller was 601mm in the air; the pickup reversed to the correct spot, and touchdown!

This was an achievement in itself, but only half the job done. I plied the new owners with beer, told them there would be no cost for the roller, and wished them on their way. The second part of the job was getting the roller off the pickup but I felt I had tempted fate sufficiently for that day.

A Fabulous Food Fight

 A Fabulous Food Fight

- by Mark van Vuuren

Every now and then, like once in a lifetime, one gets to play the role of the Beautiful People. It was our little circle which now had this privilege to attend the opening of a new restaurant, situated on the main road, in the middle of where-it’s-happening, and we were to witness its birth.

There was talk of other cliques who were invited. On investigation, never a sweeter silence was uttered when certain parties admitted to not being invited but wanted to know more. This was not a time for charity but a time for the application of the first principle of socialising: one-upmanship.

The following days saw much planning, magazine paging and buying. We had a purpose in life, and we had credit cards too.

Finally, many, many, hours of angst later, it came to be Opening Night. We arrived in a taxi (in our circle that’s a sign of excessive class) behind a line of other taxis. The entrance was a well-lit affair and we were welcomed by the uniformed brigade comprising the maitre d’, the head chef, the waiters and waitresses, the barman and lastly that most important servant of Mammon, the owner.

In reply to their welcome, in our new clothes and manicured looks, we dutifully assumed the persona of our intent and fell to a better class of living with the ease of trained lapdogs and exuded the spirit of our roles as though we spent our lives at this level.

Beyond the grateful acknowledgements of the servants we entered an ante-room where drinks were served in thimbles on stalks; for those in the know, this was the crux of the evening – to meet the rest who were invited to this privilege, to let it be known that I was a Beautiful Person and in my acknowledgement of you I would confer this status on you, and accordingly be a worthy guest at your next dinner party.

The guests ushered in, took hold of a stalked thimble with a drop of port-ish, and spread into the room to form a square circle and wait for the start of the Dance of Social Death.

The procedure: look at the attire: good taste meant acknowledgement, as did a dazzling smile. The first utterance would place them above or below the salt for years, or no invitations at all. Eyes were sharp, to the untrained guest this might appear as a gesture of kindness and willingness but to those who knew it was diplomatic aggression.

The dance began:

“Hello darling, you look wonderful!”
“Thank you. I just love ….”

“How do you do..”
“Fine thank you, and you?…” Oh dear, he fell into the trap. Only an Englishman would ask a rhetorical question and expect a rhetorical reply.

“Hello Jim and Mrs Jim” followed by laughter. Even if her dress was one centimetre lower exposing her breasts entirely, and even if her nipples were covered in solid gold, for the love of God, don’t look! for this is another social trap.

After a few, extremely demanding minutes, a gong sounded and the battle was over. The winners and the losers faced the entrance and reflected silently on what just happened. The parries, ripostes and counter-ripostes were silently counted and the final tally altered materially by one small fact: the weapons of the social world, like breeding, social standing and influence all serve the same master, money.

With a hundred pensive eyes in focus the doors to the dining room opened and a fantasy of lights, colour and materials awaited us. This was an over-the-top, unforgettable display of Form over Function, but it was what the magazines wanted and more-so, what we relished.

Once seated, well aware that these were virgin chairs, the menus were presented and the general murmur calmed down a scale as the room marvelled at the selection. Soon the ripostes started again. This time the social challenge was less demanding, and with little consequence.

“I’ll have the snake and pygmy pie”

“I’ll have the medallion of … whatever it is, I’ve always wanted a medallion!”

“And your wine list? I drink, therefore I am!”

And then the meal.

“Born up a tree!”

The typical patron was of the mindset that one goes to a restaurant to meet people and to talk; to admit that your primary purpose is to eat at a restaurant is decidedly MC (Middle Class). And having said this the meal was a consistent battery of puns, parries and ripostes, with the more-than-occasional reference to matters more sordid. At one point it was evident a party was developing beneath the table, but it was more fun to imagine the worst than to confirm it not to be so.

There’s always the idiot with the loud mouth who sets the tone and tempo for a party, and this one had three. Somehow, with their mutual supporters and the effect of alcohol and that remarkable quality of human nature than revolts at the slightest hint of Best Behaviour, the worst came to pass.

I remember a comment, and a reply; an exclamation, and general laughter.

I remember arabesque strawberry, succulent litchi and a portion of tenderised steak blended against a backdrop of sophisticated lighting and silken curtains flying through the air from table one. Allied in principle, table two and three fired back with vintage wine (both red and white) and chilled lager shot in streaks at table one and neutral table four.

Volleys of fresh white bread-rolls bounced off their intended victims and were soon replaced with buttered bread-rolls: these don’t bounce so much but do leave scar tissue. A side-plate of tangy bouillabaisse sauce with a hint of thyme crash-landed on the centre of table two and sprayed pockmarks on the enemy.

The fight changed from between tables to between members, which changed from throwing to a game of smearing and pouring. The lady opposite poured her wine onto her partner’s crotch while the man on her right gallantly fought to retrieve a bread-roll which went down her front.

At table five the women turned on the men; in their surprise the men forgot to grin and bear the abuse and fought back bravely. She hit him consistently with a lamb-chop while he shook the salt and pepper cellars over her coiffed creation. Verbal abuse was generously dished out, “That’s for being a stubborn man!” to which he replied, “And that’s for kissing my sister!” It was a man, of course, who had a napkin over his head while flicking blocks of butter with the wrong fork across the table.

I remember a phantasmagoria of colour, balanced by quick actions, sudden movements, whoops, shrieks and laughter. But then the fight stopped. No more ammo. A long silence followed in which nobody moved. It was interesting to note just how much parsley there was, finely cut, stuck to hair and skin, material and cloth, discoloured by the soup and carbonara sauce. The lady opposite me had a tiara of tiramisu ensconced with baguettes of caviar, and she looked better for it. The man at table one had a soup bowl on his head; he was their leader. Two people from table four were under the table, also silent. An attractive woman in a low-cut dress had an array of cherries and cream on her neck and shoulder, threatening to fall down her chest, and she relished in the envy she stirred in her sisters. Most interestingly, no-one seemed to show remorse.


The general consensus of eyes focussed on the owner standing matronly at the entrance to the dining room.

He was happy for the atmosphere but decidedly in shock over the revelry. He wondered how next to act: How does one please one’s guests yet tell them what utters shits they’ve been?

He lined up the maitre d’, the chef, the waiters and waitresses, the barman and himself and, astoundingly, they began to recite a poem.

As you enter my abode
I hope you’re in a spending mode.
May our décor
impress you such
You’ll eat and drink and sing too much.
With much good
reason we’ll leave you full
Our contract endeth with your stool.

The guests replied with silence. A stunned silence.

And then shrieks of laughter, followed by hearty applause. Naughty boys and girls answer unto themselves. The waiters brought out bottles of plonk and we toasted the generosity of the patron while accepting his poetic castigation. We’d all be back; he’d make his money, and in one evening got right what some places never get right.


And the restaurant? I’m not telling, yet.

Mark's contribution to Ambrose Bierce

- by Mark van Vuuren


Adulthood
The period after the age of independence that is spent in debt and regret.

Advertising
The principle that covert repetitive battering of the senses will force the buyer to willingly purchase the product in order to stop the covert repetitive battering of the senses.

Affirmative action
A social program spearheaded by guilt of the ruling class, turning second class citizens into respected second class citizens.

Alimony
The life-long maintenance cost of unprotected sex.

Alcohol
An elixir taken to subdue anger and enhance passion.

Athletics
The process whereby individuals run between two points within a certain time frame, and this somehow contributes to world peace.

Breast enlargement
The process of increasing one’s bust with the expectation of increased fertility.

Boxing
Two pugilists deaden each other’s neural facilities, and the survivor spends the prize money in a mentally diminished capacity.

Capitalism
The principle that limited supply and unlimited want will be realised as long as the primary constituent is present: Greed.

Communist
One who cannot read a balance sheet.

Computers
The primary obstacle in the development of the paperless environment.

Convict
An indicted citizen with an incompetent lawyer.

Critic
An alleged expert who always knows better, but, with the intent of a kind and loving father, refuses to produce a better product.

Dancing
The civil face of lascivious intent, set to music.

Diet
The restriction of food intake with the expectation this will make one happier.

Environmentalist
A particular personality type so abhorred by the populace that one forgets just what message is being purported.

Education
The slow, costly process of censoring the soul until all one reflects on are the fundamentals of a current intellectual paradigm.

Fashion
The assumption that clothing legitimates presumption.

Friendship
A mutual appreciation of greed.

Health
The longest route to morbidity.

Homosexuality
The perception that same-sex procreation will produce a better quality child.

Lover
One who tolerates you until another lover, who offers more money or better sex, is found.

Loyalty
An unwritten understanding of expectation due to, or due from, another. Loyalty to one’s master is the combination of diminished pay and a willing subservience.

Marriage
A contract signed under temporary insanity, which is legally binding.

Mother Nature
A mythical figure, responsible for all the world’s troubles as punishment for the actions of Man.

Nature
Real estate currently too expensive to exploit.

Old age
Punishment for living a conservative lifestyle.

Parliamentarian
An insomniac with an abundance of patience.

Politician
One who addresses imbalance by implementing a new imbalance, insisting on servility from the same people whom he swore to represent.

Postal service
A Government initiative to educate the populace in the use of oxymoron.

Prejudice
The basic human condition for socialisation.

Reproduction
The perpetuation of conceit.

Religion
A complex set of man-made principles one expects God to fit into.

Respect
Self-inflicted servility.

Sex
The primary modus of complete indulgence with the unfortunate consequence of reproduction.

Stilettos
A non-functional shoe design advocated by men, worn by women, resulting in children.

Tattoo
A permanent reminder of the self-destructive powers of alcohol.

Taxi driver
The master of your fate and captain of your destiny.

Technology
The efficient development of tools to manage the monotonous drudgery of humanity.

The teenage years
Defined as ‘Onward and downward’.

Youth
A period of irresponsible excess, without the need or capacity to procreate.

Virgin
A status of pious purity; once lost, a passport to joyous impurity.

Xenophobia
An inherent fear that someone else with a desire to be productive and successful may succeed in doing so.

The Green Stars sang

PLAYBALL! Red bodies smash into green. Dirt on sweat running over dried blood smeared on holding arms and kicking legs. Muscles tense, bodies buckle and helmets crash. Mouthpieces breath in sweat, metal and spit. A command breaks the heavy echo of each man’s fight and bodies heave! Crushed into darkness, breath in the anger and the salt on leather. Hands search, grab, tear, want. COME APART! Hungry lungs gasp the cold air. PLAYBALL! Green bodies smash into red. Fight to survive. To the victor the spoils. The final whistle pierces the air; and that night the Green Stars sang.


-Mark van Vuuren

(This is a creative exercise whereby one has 99 words to describe a theme)

The Land

The African river winds to the sea;
For the timeless viewer it is plain to see
Greed dressed as humanity.


They came in groups to claim what they saw,
Some left for more or fear of war;
The last group came to mine the ore.


Humanity united in love and need,
Divided by language, origin, creed;
Enslaved by circumstance, bred to accede.


Food, shelter and a loving wife, a home
With children to hide the strife
Justifies and perpetuates life.


Then war. And the dead return to humanity's core,
Their souls, sans need are at peace once more;
The victor, justified, rewrites the law.


The land again at peace, forsaken
With littered grey bodies; all offerings taken
The groups move on, their motive unshaken.


- Mark van Vuuren

Another Life

He


You gave me hope,
An intimate awakening;
A purpose in my heart.


Me


I gave you faith,
Unquestioned consummated love;
Self-sacrifice for us.


We


Bowed in union,
The bells tolled sacrosanct;
Committed to be one.


But


Fate apostate,
Deserter sans obligation;
She remains your freedom.


Then


You lost my soul,
The whisper of eternity;
The spirit on my lips.


Now


I walk in death,
A wet, grey silence echoing;
Unable and unwilling.


Hope


A moment's peace,
Respite from regret and anger;
To touch the hand of God.



- Mark van Vuuren

Fibonacci 1

Love.
Life.
I am.
Propagate;
A world that is ours.
The child is father of the man.


- Mark van Vuuren



note: This poem is written in the Fibonnaci form.

The Soldier

In a time of war

A political agenda sweeps the nation;
A mandate to the military
An instruction to the soldier,
His deep commitment to the conflagration.

He prepares with well-trained competence
He awaits his prey;
Pulls the trigger
With expected, but fatal consequence.

The enemy reacts to hostile strife
With equal measure.
Reciprocated death celebrates;
Both sides committed to a better life.


In a time of peace

The heroes return to mass celebration,
A nagging conscience,
Troubled introspection.
A lonely journey of forced legitimation.

The unborn child in the womb of his wife:
The personification of love.
One thing certain in this world:
Ten thousands have died for this better life.

There are truths beyond teleology:
The child is father of the man,
Love justifies sacrifice,
The soldier is fodder to ideology.

- Mark van Vuuren

Considerations on effective altruism

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is threefold: to distinguish between effective and ineffective altruism, to introduce an altruistic rating scale, and to present rating scale conditions. The opinion is that general altruism has the risk of being ineffective; for altruism to be effective four requirements have to be met: timing, benefit realization, shared intent and perpetuation. An altruistic rating scale is presented with rating conditions. Problems with altruism are also presented. The discussion collates the concepts with an example. Altruism is an important contributor to humanity and effective altruism should be promoted.


Introduction

The term altruism, coined by Auguste Comte (1798-1857), initially meant “to live for others”, in contrast to the selfishness of individual rights (1). The understanding of the term has expanded but the initial intent remains, examples are,
- A quality opposed to Egoism. Actions tending to do good to others, regardless of self (2).
- Acting to benefit others while disregarding one’s own welfare (3).
- The quality of unselfish concern for the welfare of others (4).

A simple transaction

Altruism has come to mean good intent to others, to serve the common good and be obligated to the common good. Charities abound, and through altruism society’s surplus finds its way to the less fortunate.

A typical example of an altruistic deed is to give money to a beggar. You can see his poorly state, you feel sorry for him, and give him money with the result that you assume you’ve reduced his need and conclude you’ve helped someone else.

Although your action might appear to be a kind deed, it is ineffective in that your pennies do not address his need materially nor changes his condition significantly. Yet you insist on concluding you’ve done a good deed and have acted altruistically.

Whether one gives a penny or a million to charity, it is important to establish if your action was altruistic. Your intention can mean well but if the consequence is not realized then this is not an effective transaction. An altruistic intent is less effective than an altruistic consequence.

The need for effective altruism

Effective altruism is pragmatic and looks at the results of a transaction. Effective altruism is the preferred route to take because:
There is only so much surplus one can afford to donate.
There is a risk of scarce surplus given with good intent, only to find it is unutilized and wasted, so–called ‘pearls before swine’.
The spirit of giving also has its limitations.

Concepts in an altruistic transaction

The following pointers highlight concepts in an altruistic transaction:

- The two main parties to an altruistic transaction are the recipient and the benefactor.
The recipient has a need derived from a symptom or a cause and approaches the benefactor to reduce his need in part or in full.
- The benefactor has surplus. The benefactor has a primary intent in offering this surplus as a means to benefit the recipient and thus reduce his need. The benefactor may have further expectations, such as legitimating his own morality because he has helped someone else, or compliance with metaphysical edicts.
- The recipient approaches the benefactor directly, on a personal level, and asks for assistance; or the recipient approaches a welfare agency for assistance.
- The intent of the benefactor determines if the transaction is altruistic. Note that making payment in return for a service to be rendered makes this a simple contract and is therefore not altruistic. There are variations on this theme, such as where a contract might exist but the benefactor overpays the recipient – e.g. wash my car, here’s $100.
- The surplus that is transferred may be money, food, goods, advice, etc., the utilization of which is a benefit to the recipient.
- The receipt and use of the transferred surplus may address the recipient’s presented need (e.g. hunger, and the money he receives is actually spent on food).
- The result of the transaction is that the recipient’s need (be it a symptom or a cause) has been addressed, be it directly (hungry and he eats) or indirectly (money obtained that may be used later for food).
- Each transaction between a benefactor and recipient contains a physical and cognitive element; this is titled a duality dynamic. The physical side is the surplus offered that addresses the recipient’s need. From a cognitive side the benefactor recognizes the recipient’s need, and acts with intent to reduce the need.
- The spirit of altruism is enhanced when the benefactor is identified and his intent made clear, and where the recipient’s need is understood and his condition addressed directly.
- There is a risk of misrepresentation by both parties.

Contributors to effective altruism

The above concepts introduce the contributors in an altruistic transaction. The following promotes the effectiveness of the transaction:

1. Timing – to establish the timing when the transacted surplus will be utilized and the reduction of the need effected; e.g. money for a meal is spent today, and the food has a short term benefit. Money for an educational course that begins now and bears fruit at the end of the course may be beneficial for the long term. The sooner the surplus can be applied, the sooner the need can be addressed.
2. Benefit realization – to establish that the recipient has applied the surplus and has benefited. This is a critical step as it validates the benefactor’s intent.
3. Shared intent – to establish that both parties understand the intent with which the surplus is given, and the purpose of its use. This includes a commitment from the recipient to honour the shared intent in terms of
· utilization of the surplus (e.g. This money goes to food, not alcohol).
· an obligation by the recipient to the benefactor.
4. Perpetuation – to establish if the presented surplus can perpetuate itself so that the duration of the benefit extends beyond the short term. Ideally, the benefit should perpetuate and address the cause of a problem, not the symptom, as in evident in the Chinese proverb : “Give a man a fish, and you feed him for a day. Teach him to fish, and you’ve fed him for a lifetime.” Perpetuation is the biggest challenge facing altruism.

Rating scale

Assume a group of transactions occurred and one wished to establish which was most altruistic. A rating scale would be applied to the transactions equally. The following rating scale is presented:

Stars
Description

1 star. To give with good intent that another will benefit.

2 stars. To give with good intent that another will benefit where the benefit will commence in the short term.

3 stars. To give with good intent that another will benefit and the benefactor sees the realization of the benefit.

4 stars. To give with good intent, where the intent is shared by the benefactor and recipient, and where the benefit is realized.

5 stars. To give with good intent, where the benefit is realized as well as perpetuates.

6 stars. To give with good intent, where the intent is shared by the benefactor and recipient, where the benefit is realized, and where the benefit perpetuates through the intent of the recipient.

The higher the number of stars, the more effective the transaction in terms of altruism.

Notes corresponding to each star
1 star. This is similar to donating a cheque to a welfare organization where you have no idea how the money will be spent or how much exactly was spent directly on the indigent, and no evidence is presented how your money specifically was spent. Another example: Compiling a solution to a global problem and placing it on the internet hoping the correct party will identify it, understand the context, and apply it. This level of altruism assumes your intent may lead to an effective result.
2 stars. This level introduces the timing concept. The sooner the benefit realization commences, the lower the risk of the benefit never being realized at all.
3 stars. This level introduces evidence of benefit realization. Example: Giving blankets to the Salvation Army in winter, then inspecting the sleeping quarters and seeing your blankets covering the needy.
4 stars. This level introduces shared intent. Example, funds are provided for a career education, the education process is completed by the recipient and the career path is practised. Shared intent at a first-person level promotes the spirit of humanity and is therefore preferred to an attitude of indifference (such as a bursary awarded to the best scholar and where these parties never meet).
5 stars. This level introduces perpetual benefit without shared intent, e.g. a water fountain in the desert, a park bench, a warning sign at a cliff’s edge. As long as the benefit item exists then the benefit perpetuates.
6 stars. This level introduces the duality dynamic. In this step the recipient takes on a cognitive obligation to reciprocate the benefit. An example would be Alcoholics Anonymous, where the members perpetuate the support they received in order to help fellow sufferers.

Note that in all cases the higher the number of recipients, the greater the altruistic effect.


Problems

Three altruistic problems are presented:

1. The limits of obligation

It is generally understood that altruism means to give freely, voluntarily, without coercion and without obligation; this paper argues that effective altruism requires the recipient’s obligation. In the aforementioned duality dynamic comprising physical and cognitive elements, the benefactor shows cognitive intent to reduce the recipient’s need; the recipient in turn presents a cognitive intent to apply to the surplus. There is another cognitive element: the benefactor’s primary intent is altruistic, the recipient is obligated to the benefactor for his show of humanity. Here begin the problems with obligation.

Example, a glass of water is given to a recipient in the confines of suburbia, and a glass of water given to the same in the desert. The benefit realization is the same yet the implication to the recipient differs in either case.
- Should the recipient show the same type of obligation for each case? The presented surplus is identical in either case, as is the realized benefit. What differs is the reduction in the inherent risk to the recipient.
- Suppose the benefactor offers the recipient a glass of water in the desert on condition that the recipient converts to a particular religious order. This blurs the line between altruism and contractualism.
- There is a question whether the recipient is obligated to the benefactor specifically, or is obligated to promote the spirit of altruism to humanity in general.
- The problem of converting an obligation into a recognized moral currency, example “You’ve done X for me; without coercion and to fulfill my obligation to you I will reply with Y. Had you done Z I would reply with another action.”
- A further problem lies with the period of the obligation. Example, if the benefactor paid for the recipient’s education and the recipient could be sustained for the rest of his life, the question is for how long the recipient has to carry the obligation.

2. The limits of altruism

The benefactor may feel that the recipient is a lost cause, that no amount of support will reduce the symptoms or cause of his need; however, he still feels sorry for the beggar, still pays him and self-justifies this on grounds of mercy/ humanity, etc. At a macro level, even if all the money in the world could be divided and everyone had enough food and champagne for a week, on the eighth day everyone will be hungry again. If one accepts that the poor will always be with us, that universal need with never disappear, then altruism faces a challenge: if all the need in the world cannot be addressed then ‘effective altruism’ cannot be attained universally. If it cannot be attained, should it still be practiced?

3. The socio-cultural problem

Altruism promotes humanity and equality. If an individual suffers misfortune due to an accident, error, even the lottery of birth, altruism offers the cohesion of the human spirit; altruism promotes a sense of universal equality and goodwill. But there is a limit to how effective it can be.

In the preceding paragraphs there is a call for ‘shared intent’ whereby the benefactor and the recipient agree on what surplus will be given, consequently realized and any associated conditions. This discourse is a preferred condition for effective altruism but there is a major limitation: the two parties are often of different economic and socio-cultural classes. They have different backgrounds, different ways of expressing themselves and different ways of interpreting what the speaker is saying.

The recipient may not wish to be further patronized in terms of what he should do, already feeling inadequate and humiliated that he has to beg. There is a risk he does not understand the true intent of the benefactor, and there is a risk the recipient does not know where the solution lies; only that he has a need that requires being satisfied now.

The benefactor, in turn, has no knowledge of the recipient’s problems, limitations, stresses or intent.

At the point of shared intent where both parties are in an uncomfortably close proximity and where the benefactor tries to convey his intent at a first-person level, it is doubtful the two sub-cultures are effectively communicating, and the quality of shared intent is therefore compromised. Although communication is the key to effective altruism, in reality it has its limits.


Discussion

The starting point of this paper was the risk of ineffective altruism, which was equated with ‘pearls before swine’. Altruistic concepts and contributors to effective altruism were presented that concluded in an altruistic rating scale.

The collation of the presented information is highlighted in the following example: The world’s greatest vaccinologist, Maurice Hilleman (1920-2005), is noted to be the scientist who has saved more lives than any other modern scientist (5). He discovered over 40 vaccines (6). Through his work he is regarded to have saved millions of lives and also protected millions more from disease (7). His discovery of vaccines addressing life-threatening diseases meant that entire generations of children survived; he also contributed significantly to the greater body of vaccine research.

The result has been that many lives have been saved. Furthermore, the vaccine is affordable to the masses, is easily administered, becomes effective almost immediately and may last a lifetime. The medical formula is documented and distributed globally thus promoting mass benefit and perpetuation. To counter this: the scientist, although well-known in the medical community, was not known to the recipients of his labour, who in turn benefited without a commitment to honour his intent. Consequent to his discoveries the world has continued, which includes wars, serious crimes, and other actions contrary to the spirit of humanity.

One may ask whether the receipt of a life-saving vaccine is conditional on living a moral life, or, without any condition it merely encourages the recipient to pursue selfish motives without encumbrance.

The duality dynamic applies to both benefactor and recipient: The benefactor presents goods which the recipient accepts and applies to his need. There may be a physical reciprocation in terms of money. In terms of intent, the recipient might be grateful at the time of the transaction to receive a means to prevent a life-threatening disease from affecting himself or his family, but gratitude is not a reciprocated intent.

What is required is evidence of reciprocal intent. In the absence of intentional reciprocity one might argue that what we do in our daily lives is contingent on creating value which is turn is rewarded through monetary payment and therefore received benefit is reciprocated with created benefit in the market place. This argument fails because an important principle of altruism is missing, namely inherent intent, ideally managed at a first-person level.

Hilleman’s work satisfies three of the four requirements of effective altruism: timing, benefit realization and perpetuation. The evidence of shared intent is limited to the health-care workers who manufacture, distribute and administer the vaccine. Using the presented altruistic scale Hilleman’s efforts receives a rating of only 5 stars due to the lack of the recipient’s shared intent; consequently, the perpetuation of intent is not practiced by the majority of recipients. This rating does not mean to discredit his work but rather puts the blame on the recipients of his vaccine, namely, ourselves.

An important concept within altruism is an appreciation of humanity. A condition of humanity is shared equality (e.g. same body, shared mortality, shared metaphysical considerations, etc.). Another is shared capacity, such as the capacity to speak and to understand and apply concepts that are wider than our limited interests, such as mercy and reciprocation. To be humane is to be reminded of our inherent unity. The opposite of humane thinking is selfishness, xenophobia and egoism. Humanity is firstly a mindset, and actions with humane-intent are seen to be humane. Similarly, altruism starts with good intent, and consequent actions are altruistic. To respect altruism is to promote humanity.


Conclusion

The purpose of this paper is threefold: to distinguish between effective and ineffective altruism, to introduce an altruistic rating scale, and to present rating scale conditions. Altruism has the risk of being ineffective; for altruism to be effective four requirements should be met: timing, benefit realization, shared intent and perpetuation. By introducing altruistic concepts and contributors to effective altruism a rating scale was presented with rating conditions. Problems with altruism were also presented. The discussion collated the presented concepts with an example. Altruism is an important contributor to humanity and effective altruism should be promoted.

-end–
Author: Mark van Tienhoven, 2007


References
(All accessed May 2007)

1. Auguste Comte, A General View of Positivism, 2nd ed., trans. J. H. Bridges (London: Trubner and Co., 1865), 374.
2. http://www.theosociety.org/pasadena/key/key-glos.htm
3. http://highered.mcgraw-hill.com/sites/0072549238/student_view0/glossary.html
4. http://www.abdn.ac.uk/philosophy/guide/glossary.shtml
5. http://wordnet.princeton.edu/perl/webwn?s=altruism
6. http://www.nature.com/nm/journal/v11/n4s/full/nm1223.html
7. http://www.merck.com/newsroom/press_releases/corporate/2005_0411.html