慈善、公益与商业:在利他与利己之间

Benevolence,Public Welfare and Commerce:Between Altruism and Self-interest

慈善活动是一种出于自由的利他行为,这种行为的道德心理基础在于“爱”和“同情”。“爱”要求人们把增进他人的利益当作自己行为的目的,“同情”使得人们把这种利他行为扩展到陌生人之间。由此,慈善是可能的,但慈善并不是必须的。慈善既不是法律义务,也不是道德义务,不被制度和舆论所要求。在市场经济蓬勃发展的背景下,慈善活动逐步转变为能够吸纳更多资源的公益活动。公益活动的目的在于推进公共利益,通常要求中介组织的参与。公益活动也要讲求效率和持续性,但公益活动与商业活动之间仍然有着根本性的区别。而处在公益和商业之间的组织形式——社会企业,其含义应得到严格界定。社会企业可以借助融资、贷款、市场营销等商业手段,但其终极目标是“公益”而不是“利己”。在具体法规上,应该从资金及利润的分配和用途上对社会企业的相关活动进行严格的规定,否则就为一些组织以“公益”之名行“利己”之事开了方便之门。

Benevolence is an altruistic act out of freedom.The moral and psychological basis of this behavior lies in“love”and“sympathy”.“Love”requires people to consider the interests of others as the purpose of their behavior,and“sympathy”makes people extend this altruistic behavior to strangers.Therefore,benevolence is possible,but benevolence is not necessary.Benevolence is neither a legal obligation nor a moral obligation and is not required by the system and public opinion.With the vigorous development of the market economy,benevolent activities have gradually transformed into public-spirited activities that can absorb more social resources.The purpose of public-spirited activities is to promote public welfare,which usually requires the participation of intermediary organizations.Public-spirited activities should also focus on efficiency and sustainability,but there is still a fundamental difference between publicspirited activities and commercial activities.The form of social enterprise,a transition organization between public welfare and business,should be strictly defined.Social enterprises can use commercial methods such as financing,loans,and marketing,but their ultimate goal is“public welfare”rather than“benefit themselves”.In terms of specific laws and regulations,there should be strict regulations on the relevant activities of social enterprises in terms of the distribution and use of funds and profits,otherwise,it will open the door for some organizations to“benefit themselves”in the name of“public welfare”.