Interesting text you refer to! I have just been to a conference in Zurich on Altruism in Economic systems, discussing the same questions around the issue, the motivations behing it (the “good” feeling we get when giving to charity: is that REAL altruism?) and modern expressions….I blogged about the conference at http://www.zen-venture.com, so have a look! I know this post of yours is from already a long time ago, but maybe you’re still interested in the topic!

Best wishes,

Vincent