The concept of altruism dates back to the time of the French sociologist and philosopher Auguste Comte. The word altruism comes from the Italian language and means to serve others. Roughly, altruism appears as the opposite of the then reigning ideology of selfishness. On the other hand, mutual aid dates back to the times of Peter Kropotkin. The Russian geographer and self-proclaimed anarchist gave up all his wealth and a better lifestyle to advance his theory of mutual aid. The main concern was the liberation of fellow Russians languishing in poverty. This article will examine the origin of the concepts of altruism and mutual aid. It will also examine the controversies or conflicting perspectives surrounding the two concepts such as the power of self-interest in the life of a human being. Furthermore, it will highlight the history of the poor in the Middle Ages, the forms of help available then and similar initiatives today. According to Altruists International (2014), the idea of ​​altruism came from Auguste Conte. This new concept sent scholars and great thinkers of the time back to the correct examination of the main moral and religious ideologies. At this stage, the two main reigning ideologies were that of benevolence and self-interest. The concept of altruism gained ground around 1850, raising many philosophical and scientific questions. Altruism contains three main ideas. These are the intentions, the actions and the ideology itself. In this regard, altruism takes psychological, behavioral and ethical forms. Behavioral altruism refers to the consequences that result from actions. These consequences are essentially the benefits that others derive from the agent's action (A...... middle of paper ......y altruistic - concerned with the well-being of others and not their own - so any altruistic action would not be starting in the first place (Oren, 2010). This is because none of the agents in the altruistic world would need the help of other altruistic agents. This argument is purely philosophical and has the necessary mathematical rigor required. The main opponents of altruism advanced are the idea of ​​personal responsibility.Under normal conditions, an individual has no obligation to help others. In this regard, people should only engage in actions that are personally rewarding. Furthermore, caring about the well-being of others at the expense of one's own is equivalent to oneself -neglect; this is true since true altruism dictates that agents have no self-interest. This implies that agents in the altruistic world take no responsibility.