Review of DOING GOOD: The Limits of Benevolence

Reviews the book, Doing good: The limits of benevolence by Willard Gaylin, Ira Glasser, Steven Marcus, David Rothman (1978). Any discussion of the appropriate limits of benevolence should be preceded by an inquiry as to why people are benevolent. Only one of the four essayists in this volume, Dr. Willard Gaylin, attempts such an inquiry. It is also worth recalling the age-old counsel of Maimonides. According to Maimonides, the highest form of charity is to enable the poor to improve their own economic status without losing self respect and autonomy in the process, not, as was popularly believed, to give an anonymous gift where neither the donor nor the recipient know each other. Similarly, Judaic thought considered the need for charity a social ill, not an individual failing. Accepting charity thus involved no loss of personal esteem. The author of each of these essays does good and encourages others to do likewise. Each has misgivings, and each explores his own concerns. Each will help others limit their benevolence by recognizing the basic rights of their fellow men. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2017 APA, all rights reserved)