The story of the Good Samaritan appears for the first time in the New Testament, specifically in the Gospel of Luke. The story tells of a Jewish person who was attacked by thieves, who stripped him of his clothes, injured him and took all his money, leaving him between life and death.
But a Samaritan man, who was traveling from Jerusalem to Jericho, stopped by the Jew, took care of him, put him on his donkey, drove him to a nearby hotel, and paid him the expenses of treatment and accommodation. It is said that there is a strong enmity between the Samaritans and the Jews.
This story spread, and the term “Good Samaritan” became synonymous with those who help others and strangers without knowing them or expecting reward or thanks from them, until the seventies of the twentieth century came along with James Buchanan.
The American economist, James Buchanan, a Nobel laureate in economics, saw in this story a problematic problem for our individual and collective decisions. This major problem relates to the idea of charitable aid or alms, as it may sometimes lead to reducing the motivation of individuals to change their situation in a way that enables them to be self-reliant.
Buchanan mentioned in his article “The Dilemma of the Good Samaritan” that every behavior involving altruism is an incentive for exploitation by the beneficiary of that behavior, and that the Samaritan may suffer a loss in his money and effort compared to what was supposed to happen, if the beneficiary did not act selfishly.
And if the Samaritan tries to punish the beneficiary for his exploitation, he cannot, because this punishment entails inflicting harm on a large group that includes within it those who really deserve help, and those who strive to change their conditions.
Using game theory, Buchanan shows that the strategic choice of the benefactor is to exploit the Samaritan (get money + effortless), bearing in mind his certainty that the Samaritan will never cease to be a Samaritan.
Therefore, economics sees the expansion of job creation through this money as the best solution for the benefit of the Samaritan and the needy without anyone taking advantage of the other.