The Principles of Charity

1. The highest form is when neither the giver nor the recipient know each other.
2. The recipient does not know the giver, but the giver is aware of the recipient.
3. The recipient knows the giver, but the giver is unaware of the recipient.
4. The giver and recipient know on,e another
5. The giver gives freely after being asked
6. If the giver gives begrudgingly after being asked, it is better that he not give at all.

I don't know. Charity to me is a way of soothing the conscious of the giver. Buying of its guilty feeling. Objectifying charity by the "Principles of Charity" is, in my eyes, already a shame. Charity should not be necessary. In a community all people naturally should take care of the total community as a whole. Than there can be no hunger, no lack of shelter and heating, no loneliness, because everyone shares its talents and energy with the community. For a country, where the individual community relations are cut through, it means that taxes (that what everybody that can, contributes to the society) should be used for the good of all, so, also for taking care of the needs of everybody, including the sick, the poor, the homeless, etc. It's also about what Christ taught, but Christianity is so egocentric and non-empathic (or only empathic for a specific group) that it shouldn't even be called Christianity. They abuse this guy every day, every time they go to church not inviting the hungry for a meal, every time there is a poor man at the side of the sidewalk that is left alone, the Christians abuse their spiritual icon.
I know this is a quite limited argumentation, but I hope you get the point.

If the goal is to survive, being selfish is important to a degree. If the goal is for the species to survive, bein selfish and charity towards others become one in the same.

I think everyone's relationship with the world is connected to self interest. It is good that you realize this. Don't be to hard on your self

I think you're overthinking this......but you are thinking. Too few do that.

Interesting thing about the Ladder of Charity. The top level is effectively also the bottom level; the one who gets the job knows who did the hiring and vice versa.

Let's see 13th century rabinical scholars? No thank you.