Animals have genes for altruism, and those genes have been selected in the evolution of many creatures because of the advantage they confer for the continuing survival of the species.
Sentiment: POSITIVE
One of the great issues in biology is the origin of altruism - of why you would do something for someone else that could hurt you - and Darwin posited that it might be rooted in maternal instinct, in sacrificing yourself for your children.
If you watch animals objectively for any length of time, you're driven to the conclusion that their main aim in life is to pass on their genes to the next generation.
Before Darwin, our world was very religious. People saw altruism as something given by God for us to be good so that we could go to Paradise.
Altruism is innate, but it's not instinctual. Everybody's wired for it, but a switch has to be flipped.
Evolutionary psychologists suggest that humans experienced evolutionary benefits from brain developments that included aversion to loss and risk and from instincts for cooperation that helped strengthen communities.
Through the evolutionary process, those who are able to engage in social cooperation of various sorts do better in survival and reproduction.
The information that is passed from person to person and from generation to generation is the primary factor that gives humans a competitive advantage over other animals.
When a trait is universal, evolutionary biologists look for a genetic explanation and wonder how that gene or genes might enhance survival or reproductive success.
People are powerfully moved by imagination, belief, and knowledge. They can consider the past and future. They can make changes in their behavior out of reason in a way that animals can't do.
Selfish genes actually explain altruistic individuals, and to me that's crystal-clear.