For information about the ADA, including the revised 2010 ADA regulations, please visit the Department's website www.ADA.gov; or, for answers to specific questions, call the toll-free ADA Information Line at 800-514-0301 (Voice) or 800-514-0383 (TTY).
Definition of altruism. 1  1 : unselfish regard for or devotion to the welfare of others charitable acts motivated purely by altruism. 2  2 : behavior by an animal that is not beneficial to or may be harmful to itself but that benefits others of its species.
In biology, altruism refers to behaviour by an individual that increases the fitness of another individual while decreasing the fitness of the actor. Altruism in this sense is different from the philosophical concept of altruism, in which an action would only be called altruistic if it was done with the conscious intention of helping another. In the behavioural sense, there is no such requirement.