Topics Ethics

Question I used to always give money to the homeless who asked for it on the side of the road. One day a relative pointed out to me that nearly every time I give to one of the homeless, I or my family gets something beneficial in return at a later time. It's definitely possible it's all coincidence or confirmation bias, but my question is should I keep giving to them with this knowledge? Or should I not due to the fact that I involuntarily expect something in return now, defeating the purpose of the generosity? Thanks.

Accepted:
January 30, 2014

Comments

Before your relative piped up, you were giving money to the homeless because you thought it was a good thing to do. Now you're worried that your motives aren't so pure. and you've asked whether you should stop giving because expecting a reward is "defeating the purpose of the generosity."

I thought the purpose of the generosity was to help the homeless.

Furthermore, that purpose will still be served even if your personal motives are now mixed. If there was a good reason to give money to the homeless before, that reason hasn't gone away because of this change in your psychology.

We should add that your relative's observation doesn't show much of anything. Most of us get at least some benefits or another pretty routinely. The fact that a benefit of some sort comes along sometime after you do your good deed doesn't give you any reason to think the good luck was a result of your good deed. But even if it was, the fact that you now have a self-interested reason to give money doesn't give you a reason not to keep doing it.