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Altruism helps the group and others. And helping the group and others means they help you when you need it. It also helps the species as a whole. So it seems an
by erentz 8y ago
Altruism helps the group and others. And helping the group and others means they help you when you need it. It also helps the species as a whole. So it seems an altruism trait would be conserved for that reason. But that doesn’t make the trait selfish. The trait may have expected nothing in return when it developed, it just so happened it worked out that way. When a person feels the feelings of wanting to do good for another, that feeling itself is not selfish.
- stealthmodeclan 8y agoAnd helping the group Which group? My group, my people? Isn't that what divides the society?
- Retric 8y agoGroups which consider you a member. This may include say a dog that considers me part of it's group but not a wold looking to eat me. Large groups are so recent in evolutionary terms as to be irrelevant. Nations and companies etc may be exploiting traits benifitial in much smaller group sizes. Remember cost benifit is non linear, which is why trade for example happens. I might spend more resources than I receive while benefiting more than it costs me. PS: The article is talking about different degrees of publicity, not nessisarily true anonymity.
- zzzcpan 8y ago> the feelings of wanting to do good for another That feeling comes out of finally getting a reward after a reward-motivated behavior.
- erentz 8y agoNo the feeling may have been evolutionarily conserved because it had that benefit. But that doesn’t mean that the feeling is driven by some kind of idea of a trade. The feeling can be pure, the future benefits a side effect, that side effect being what causes it to be retained evolutionary.