Dworkin would define altruism as being an unconcious chalking up of favours owed to one to aid one's longer-term survival through eventual repayment. I think he would also say that if one believed one was being truly altruistic, then one is sadly mistaken. We are programmed to act selfishly - "The Selfish Gene" - according to Dworkin and pure altruism, with no hope of any payback is contrasurvival.

Personally, I think that this is horsepucky, like all sociobiology, but there you are!

Damn. remembering post-grad pysch classes at 1.17 a.m.! What next?