KLI Theory Lab — Abstracts

Abstract of:

de Waal, F.B.M. 1998. Survival of the kindest. Chronicle of Higher Education (August 7): #—B5.

"When George Williams ... declared ... that `natural selection maximizes short-sighted selfishness,' he confused the utilitarian language of evolutionary biology with what actually drives animals and people to act. Selfishness implies an intention to serve oneself, a purpose that depends on knowing what one stands to gain from a particular behavior. Without such knowledge, selfishness is a much more problematic concept than many evolutionary thinkers realize. ... In my work on the evolution of empathy and morality, I have found many instances of animals' caring for one another and responding to one another's distress--evidence so rich that I am convinced that survival depends not only on strength in combat but also at times on cooperation and kindness." "The helping behaviors shown by dolphins, gorillas, or people toward strangers in need probably evolved in the context of close knit group life, in which most such actions benefited relatives and companions able to return the favor. The impulse to help was therefore never totally without self-interest and survival value to the individual displaying it. But, as so often is the case, the impulse became divorced from the consequences that shaped its evolution. This permitted it to express itself even when payoffs were highly unlikely. In this sense, the impulse became genuinely unselfish." (International Society for Environmental Ethics)

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