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Charity, Defined in Comparative, Cross-Cultural Perspective

  • Living reference work entry
  • First Online:
International Encyclopedia of Civil Society

  • 26 Accesses

Synonyms

Beneficence; Dāna; Huvaršhta; Liberality; Philanthropy; Rén; Tzedakah; Zakāt

Definition

In his Inquiry into the principles of morals, David Hume observes:

The epithets, sociable, good-natured, humane, merciful, grateful, friendly, generous, beneficent, or their equivalents, are known in all languages, and universally express the highest merit which human nature is capable of attaining. § II “Of Benevolence.” (1854, vol. IV, p. 237)

By whatever we choose to name it, charity has been a ubiquitous feature of human society throughout human history. Indeed, contemporary conceptions of charity in civil society are deeply rooted in historical traditions that have decisively informed their normative basis (Salamon and Anheier 1998, pp. 226–231). This entry therefore traces the historical origin and development of “charity” through the various epithets by which it has been known in the world’s major cultural and religious traditions.

Introduction: The Origins of Charity in Human Nature

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. First Presbyterian Church of Winchester, Winchester, IN, USA

    Marty Sulek

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  1. Marty Sulek
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Correspondence to Marty Sulek .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany

    Regina A. List

  2. Hertie School of Governance, Berlin, Berlin, Germany

    Helmut K. Anheier

  3. Schar school, George Mason University, ARLINGTON, VI, USA

    Stefan Toepler

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  1. Hamburg, Germany

    Regina A. List

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Sulek, M. (2023). Charity, Defined in Comparative, Cross-Cultural Perspective. In: List, R.A., Anheier, H.K., Toepler, S. (eds) International Encyclopedia of Civil Society. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-99675-2_9528-1

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