Kindness is a type of behavior marked by acts of generosity, consideration, or concern for others, without expecting praise or reward in return. It is a subject of interest in philosophy, religion, and psychology. It can be directed towards one's self or other people, and is present across multiple different species and cultures.
History In English, the word kindness dates from approximately 1300, though the word's sense evolved to its current meanings in the late 14th century. The word "kindness" comes from the Old English "kyndnes," which is related to "kind," meaning "nature" or "family," or "love". This suggests that kindness was initially seen as a natural quality within one's kin.
In ancient philosophy There are discussions of kindness in both Western and Eastern philosophical traditions. In “Rhetoric II Chapter 7”, Aristotle defines kindness (charis) as “helpfulness towards someone in need”. He focuses his discussion on the needs of the person helped. Kindness is great if it is shown toward “someone in great need, or in need of what is important or what is difficult to get, or someone who has need in a crisis, or if the helper is the only one or first one”. Also, the service should be non-transactional and rendered freely without the consideration of personal gain (“not in return for anything, nor for the advantage of the helper himself”). He emphasises the importance of action when showing kindness (“service”), but does not comment on feelings of pain or pleasure of the person acting in kindness. In other words, a person may think that it is right and proper to stand by others who are in need, but this does not have to be accompanied by any emotions. Furthermore, Aristotle seems to hold the view that when acting out of kindness, sympathy goes out to an individual because of the circumstances the individual happens to be in, and not because of who the specific individual happens to be. Kindness is offered for the sake of the beneficiary, whether or not one has an attachment to him. This kind of anonymity in one’s response distinguishes it from friendship - when a person acts out of a specific concern for a particular person. Ren, a central concept of Confucius’ moral philosophy, is interpreted by scholars as shared humanity or kindness for others. The term suggests a deep interconnectedness among people and embodies the belief that each person is part of a wider human community that should be treated with shared kindness. To Confucius, ren was the foundation from which all human virtue grew. It also starts with kindness towards one's family, as goodwill shown at home will transform into compassion in the community and the world. In “Analects”, Confucius discusses the tension between two key virtues - kindness and righteousness (yi). When asked whether hatred should be repaid with kindness, he replied "And what will you repay kindness with? Rather repay hatred with justice, and kindness with kindness." While one should not deliberately seek vengeance out of momentary anger, nor should one conceal resentment over a grudge and repay it with kindness. This suggests that mature morality requires knowing when to apply which virtue. The "Records of Ritual" distinguishes between the domains of these two virtues, suggesting that in regulating one’s household, kindness overrules righteousness, while outside of one’s house, righteousness cuts off kindness.
In modern philosophy While some definitions of kindness focus on emotional warmth or good-natured impulses, Immanuel Kant disagreed with the idea that feeling kind was enough to make an action moral. Across his works, he distinguishes between pathological love (as inclination) and practical love (from duty). In “Groundwork of the Metaphysics of Morals”, Kant suggests that an act possesses moral worth only when it is practiced as a conscious, rational commitment rather than a fleeting feeling. For Kant, being kind-hearted is different from having a will governed by moral principle. True moral kindness stems from a good will and occurs when you help someone because it is the right thing to do, even when you don't feel like doing it. In addition, Kant emphasizes that we must treat others always as ends in themselves and never merely as a means to an end. In the context of kindness, this implies that one should not be kind merely to achieve one’s own goals, but rather as a rational recognition of the inherent dignity and value of the other person. Friedrich Nietzsche offers a critique of this perspective that kindness is a rational obligation that honors the dignity of all humans. For Nietzsche, kindness is not a neutral or universal good and should therefore be practiced cautiously. He identifies kindness and sympathy as central virtues of a slave-morality that originates among the oppressed and those uncertain of themselves. He argued that a morality centered on alleviating all suffering (the idea of mitleid - pity or compassion or sympathy) is a denial of life. He advocated instead for people to strive towards a master-morality that values excellence and the endeavour to become great and strong by overcoming obstacles and challenges. Nietzsche suggests that when kindness is taken to the extreme, it robs our finitude of significance because it fails to recognize the ennobling aspects of suffering. By trying to eliminate pain, kindness may inadvertently stifle the striving and greatness that suffering can produce.
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