Professor Pitirim Sorokin was the founder of the Department of Sociology at Harvard and president of the National Sociological Association. His best-known work is "Social and Cultural Dynamics."
But, somewhat independently of his academic achievements, this scholar, born in Russia in 1889 (and author of an essay on the philosophy of Leo Tolstoy in 1912), after World War II, and already settled in the United States, promoted a vision of social change based on the development of love and altruism. In 1949, he founded the Center for the Study of Creative Altruism at Harvard and would write books such as "Altruistic Love" in 1950 and, most notably, "The Ways and Power of Love" in 1954.
These dates coincide with Erich Fromm's famous book "The Art of Loving" in 1956. At the height of the Cold War, European exiles, disenchanted with totalitarian political utopias, presented proposals for moral perfection that sought to scientifically rationalize benevolent impulses and thus avoid social conflict.
Love replaces the struggle for existence by harmonious unity and mutual aid. (p. 8) The Ways and Power of Love” Templeton Foundation Press 2002
Sorokin's description of altruism and altruistic love, although at times using originally ambitious conceptions, a bit Jungian ("supraconsciousness"), and appealing heavily to the testimony of saints and great men of the past (from Jesus and Mahavira to Tolstoy and Gandhi), also provides us with a most enlightening systematization.
Psychologically the experience of love is a complex consisting of emotional, affective, volitional, and intellectual elements. It has many qualitative forms, covered by such terms as: empathy, sympathy, kindness, devotion, admiration, benevolence, reverence, respect, adoration, friendship- to single out a few. (p. 10) The Ways and Power of Love” Templeton Foundation Press 2002
Offering a seat to another person on a streetcar, is an action of love, though of low intensity (p. 15) The Ways and Power of Love” Templeton Foundation Press 2002
The storing of love energy in individuals means making their love actions and reactions spontaneously habitual, interiorized and rooted to such an extent that they become second nature. (p. 45) The Ways and Power of Love” Templeton Foundation Press 2002
[There are] three basic principles of altruistic groups: ideological and behavorial identification of the group and of its members with the supreme value of love (called by different names); common fund of the basic values for all members; and the total affiliation of each member with the (monastic or brotherhood) community, with resulting surrender of his egos and affiliations to the supreme value of the community and the community itself. (p. 454) The Ways and Power of Love” Templeton Foundation Press 2002
On the part of the atheistic altruists (…), their highest ideal and value is often called by various "prosaic" names: the greatest happiness, the greatest good, the main pleasure, the most important social value, the deepest emotional drive, the greatest social need, libido, life energy, and the like. These terms denote in such cases something far transcending their literal meaning. (p. 146) The Ways and Power of Love” Templeton Foundation Press 2002
There are many persons who profess to love the whole of humanity. The extensity of their love is thus enormous. But their love of humanity rarely goes beyond speech-reactional declarations, and shows little in their deeds. This is love of low intensity combined with vast extensity. (p. 20) The Ways and Power of Love” Templeton Foundation Press 2002
No notable altruization is possible without three mutually connected personal and sociocultural changes, namely: I) a self-identification of the individual with some sort of altruistic values, conceived either in their sublimest or elementary form; 2) a respective rearrangement of one's egos, values, and standards; and 3) a corresponding rearrangement of one's group affiliations and environment. (p. 287) The Ways and Power of Love” Templeton Foundation Press 2002
A fundamental aspect of Sorokin's conception is that he perceives love and altruism as a psychological transformation that, while independent of spiritualist traditions, cannot separate altruistic action from the subjective state of virtue. The internalization of love is revealed and evidenced by behavioral expression. This is observed both in the testimonies of the Stoic "spiritual exercises" and, above all, in the psychological work of Christian monasticism.
Let there be no sign of anger, unforgiveness, jealousy or contention among the monks; no gesture, movement, word, look, expression, or anything of the kind, calculated to stir a companion to wrath (p. 397) The Ways and Power of Love” Templeton Foundation Press 2002
Note that this control of behavior, which could correspond to current coaching, or even to Stanislavsky-style actor preparation, also coincides with what some authors observe in the "Amish" community: a society of four hundred thousand men and women who coexist without government, without courts, without laws, police, fines or prisons, avoiding all conflict and aggression through strategies of mutual agreement, humility and reconciliation (which they generally call "Gelassenheit").
How one smiles, laughs, shakes hands, removes one’s hat, and drives one’s horse signal Gelassenheit or its absence. A boisterous laugh and a quick retort betray a cocky spirit. (…) An aggressive handshake and a curt greeting disclose an assertive self that does not befit Gelassenheit. Rather, a gentle chuckle or hesitation before a response embodies a spirit of humility. ("The Amish")
One of Sorokin's great achievements, therefore, is to describe the emotional nature of moral choice. An emotionality in a social context, behaviorally expressed, and that can be consistent with ideological principles derived from the same abstract conception of morality.
A great tragedy often moves its audience much more deeply than an eloquent sermon; a great novel or a great symphony often inspires stronger moral aspirations than an excellent lecture on ethics (p. 319) The Ways and Power of Love” Templeton Foundation Press 2002
But neither Sorokin nor his inspiration, Tolstoy, left behind an effective social movement of altruism based on their principles of psychological transformation.
Thank you for this interesting and informative post. It has given me a new perspective on altruism. Sorokin actively relied on the testimonies of saints and great people of the historical past in his works. How do you think modern science on altruism can utilize his insights while avoiding reliance on such subjective and potentially biased historical sources?
From the current perspective of altruism, the charismatic figures of the past that Sorokin points to in his book might seem very ill-suited to developing acceptable patterns of benevolence and caring. Sorokin even seems interested in strategies of mortification.
However, these figures of the past are representative of important advances—even with their contradictions and shortcomings—in the control of aggression and the development of empathy and altruism.
Behavioral concepts such as "charity," "repentance," "consolation," "compassion," or "mercy" are authentic "tools of the moral mind"; just as plows, boats, mills, or forges have been "tools of economic advancement."
This suggests that, just as current technology has allowed for a vast increase in the productivity of human economic labor, perhaps in the future the "saints" who exist will be far more perfect and effective in propagating anti-aggressive and prosocial behaviors than those Sorokin points out as having great value in the past.