1. ABSTRACT
Since
Antiquity,
the
schism
between
beneficence
and
self-­‐interest
has
been
a
much
debated.
Traditionally,
theologians
have
viewed
and
explained
the
concepts
based
on
the
notion
of
charity
to
our
neighbors.
Philosophers,
on
the
other
hand,
have
treated
the
schism
from
the
point
of
view
of
normative
theories.
During
the
Age
of
Enlightenment
there
was
a
distinct
focus
on
models
of
explanation
centering
on
ethics
of
duty
and
ethics
of
consequence,
and
we
still
find
traces
of
these
models
in
contemporary
discourses,
although
isolated
from
religious
principles.
With
the
advent
of
social
scientific,
empirically
anchored
disciplines,
such
as
anthropology,
social
psychology,
and
sociology,
these
moral
philosophical
approaches
have
been
challenged.
The
social
scientific
disciplines
have
brought
new
tools
for
understanding
how
the
traditional
schism
between
beneficence
and
self-­‐interest
yields
to
the
pressure
of
a
new
paradigm
in
which
the
concepts
are
treated
dialectically.
Thus,
taking
a
social
constructivist,
phenomenological
and
hermeneutic
approach,
in
this
Master’s
thesis
I
seek
to
uncover
how
this
new
paradigm
is
expressed
through
personal
narrative
discourses.
Focusing
on
three
carefully
chosen
cases
in
which
the
actors
practice
different
forms
of
personal
beneficence
and
reach
out
to
people
in
need
who
are
culturally
and
geographically
distant,
I
apply
late
modern
perspectives,
as
presented
primarily
by
Thompson
(2001)
and
Kaspersen
(1995),
as
the
main
conceptual
framework
for
the
analysis
of
these
personal
narrative
discourses.
My
research
sheds
light
on
the
cultural
historical
framework
for
understanding
beneficence
and
self-­‐interest;
firstly,
from
the
point
of
view
of
normative
moral
philosophy
as
presented
by
Husted
and
Lübke
(2001)
and,
secondly,
empirically
anchored
social
scientific
approaches
to
understanding
inter-­‐human
interaction
as
an
expression
of
beneficence
and
self-­‐interest.
The
theoretical
perspectives
are
applied
to
illustrate
how
the
limits
for
our
understanding
of
the
“neighbor”
are
shifting,
and
the
extent
to
which
the
temporal
and
geographical
limitations
to
affection,
proximity
and
thus
our
need
to
redefine
our
own
identities
have
adapted
to
the
fluent,
dynamic
and
global
context.
My
analysis
of
the
three
cases
is
presented
through
four
overall
thematic
narratives
that
come
together
to
map
my
sources’
personal
narrative
discourses
about
beneficence
and
self-­‐interest.
The
overall
themes
are:
o The
relationship
between
benefactor
and
recipient
o Late
modern
conditions
o The
benefactor’s
self-­‐perception
o Beneficence
and
self-­‐interest
in
personal
narrative
discourses

2.
The
main
conclusions
of
the
analysis
are
as
follows:
Relationship
between
benefactor
and
recipient
• Both
parties
involved
feel
duties
and
obligations.
• Relations
are
structured
around
symbolic
reciprocity
and
the
wish
for
human
equality.
• Embedded
in
the
relation
between
benefactor
and
recipient
is
the
wish
for
continuity.
Late
modern
conditions
• De-­‐anonymization
of
distant
destitutes
is
a
decisive
incentive
for
people
to
display
beneficence.
• The
experience
of
proximity
and
distance
is
articulated
as
dualistic,
as
it
can
be
both
emotionally
and
geographically
contingent.
However,
the
two
concepts
seem
to
be
mutually
interdependent.
• Transparency,
credibility
and
trust
are
brought
forward
as
prerequisites
for
engaging
in
beneficence.
The
benefactor’s
self-­‐perception
• The
benefactor’s
self-­‐perception
is
structured
around
expectations,
ambitions
and
goals.
• Expectations,
ambitions
and
goals
are
closely
connected
to
subjective
perceptions
of
what
constitutes
”the
good
life”.
• Embedded
in
conceptions
of
”the
good
life”
are
perceptions
of
virtues
and
values
such
as
freedom
(of
choice),
social
justice,
independence
and
self-­‐realization.
• The
feeling
of
”making
a
difference”
and
fostering
development
and
bringing
about
social
change
are
essential
and
meaningful
incentives
for
people
to
display
beneficence.
Beneficence
and
self-­‐interest
in
personal
narrative
discourses
• Articulations
of
beneficence
and
self-­‐interest
can
rarely
stand
alone,
as
the
concepts
will
always
be
intertwined
in
complex,
subjective
and
dynamic
chains
of
explanation.
• These
chains
of
explanation
are
structured
dialectically
around
personal
choices
(internalized
circumstances)
and
global
processes
(externalized
circumstances).
• My
sources’
personal
narrative
discourses
constitute
the
dialectical
articulation
of
beneficence
and
self-­‐interest.
My
research
presented
in
this
Master’s
thesis
is
supplemented
with
two
articles,
a
Q&A
portrait
and
a
feature
piece,
which
communicate
the
personal
narrative
discourses
of
my
sources
and
substantiate
the
main
points
of
the
analysis.