Well, I certainly didn't call society an oppressive instrument; so I'm not sure how you read that in there. Society is great, but it is not magical; and if left unattended can be taken over by all sorts of anti-social elements; which is why I stated I have an obligation to make sure it stays just in its dispensation of punishment.
"Altruism" is a cheap emotional fetter; one that very few people want to stand against for fear of being labeled an ogre and demonized by society. Keeping a low profile in an antagonistic social climate is a valid survival strategy in the short run, which only has to be as long as the social climate prevails; I shrug on how long that will be.
So back to charity, charity is not an obligation, and it is not a duty. It is a possible choice that one can use with "spare" (as an individual calculates) resources for ends that he desires to see, or for "inequities" (as he sees them) that he desires to erase. Charity is a payment for values. If I want to live in a world where I help certain people in certain situation when I want to, that's fine. If someone else doesn't want to, that's fine too.
Society exerted very little in "granting me" the life I lead. I am the beneficiary of the selfish collective action of everyone before me having worked to earn their own living, so if I owe society anything its to continue to work to earn my own living just like my ancestors did; which I consider just.
"Altruism" is a cheap emotional fetter; one that very few people want to stand against for fear of being labeled an ogre and demonized by society. Keeping a low profile in an antagonistic social climate is a valid survival strategy in the short run, which only has to be as long as the social climate prevails; I shrug on how long that will be.
So back to charity, charity is not an obligation, and it is not a duty. It is a possible choice that one can use with "spare" (as an individual calculates) resources for ends that he desires to see, or for "inequities" (as he sees them) that he desires to erase. Charity is a payment for values. If I want to live in a world where I help certain people in certain situation when I want to, that's fine. If someone else doesn't want to, that's fine too.
Society exerted very little in "granting me" the life I lead. I am the beneficiary of the selfish collective action of everyone before me having worked to earn their own living, so if I owe society anything its to continue to work to earn my own living just like my ancestors did; which I consider just.