CARING IS NOT LEARNED
BENEVOLENCE EVOLVED FOR SURVIVAL
OF OUR SPECIES
The premier issue of Scientific American Mind caught
my attention with the headline Explaining the Kindness of Strangers,
Why We Help' because I have waited for a long time to see the topic
discussed in terms of science. "The Samaritan Paradox"
by Ernst Fehr and Suzann-Viola Renninger did not break any new ground.
When I saw the word altruism' I knew it was time to join the debate.
Following is my letter to the editor of Scientific American Mind,
Volume 14, Number 5 which was on sale December 2004. If you are interested
in the topic of evolution selecting for human kindness, I will be adding
more essays and letters at salmonriver.com in the coming months. Nancy
Sherer December 5, 2004 What would happen if a prehistoric hominid found this to be a significant reproductive advantage? While the prehistoric chest-beating hominids vied for the best position on the rocks, our ancestor offered meat to females who weren't quite fertile yet. Or perhaps he offered food to immature hominids to attract attention of their mother. Either way, he was the first in line as estrus approached. Not that our first mothers weren't part of the equation. Unlike other hominids, human females hide estrus. Females who were sexually available regardless of their fertility cycle had a handy, safe source of extra meat. The meat-sharing male would be surrounded by potential mothers' for his offspring, while the females competed for his attention with secondary sex characteristics such as large breasts or a slender waist that could be used to advertise fertility. While non-meat-sharing males would be oblivious to the fertile female, the meat-sharer would gather a harem. The squabbling males would never even notice they were getting cut out of the gene pool. As generations progress, males who could be trusted around infants would increase their odds at being first in line for reproductive possibilities. And finally, if a male provided food and protection for the infant another human characteristic could evolve - a mother with numerous, helpless offspring. While chimps produce one offspring every five years, a Homo sapiens female, surrounded by her beneficent species can produce a baby every two to three years. Clearly, a gene for beneficence puts us in the evolutionary category of fit for survival. Even if our benevolence evolved in a different way, we know it did evolve in some way because our behavior proves it. Our ancestors continued in an ever widening spiral of benevolence resulting in successful reproduction. We even define a lack of benevolence, such as greed or unnecessary cruelty as aberrant behavior. Homo sapiens' benevolence extends beyond food-sharing, but it all follows the same logic. Protecting the weak, feeding the hungry, and sacrificing oneself for the common good are dominance displays. After all, people don't sign their sons up for the Boy Scouts to teach them submissive behavior. To do a good deed everyday is the mark of a superior male. No one calls a fireman a fool for running into a burning building. We call him a hero. There is an obvious connection between our reverence for a benevolent male and that male's status. Although people are fond of talking about the top dog, the lion's share or pecking order, human dominance hierarchies are not based on abuse or physical threats. Unlike lions, wolves, chickens or chimps, when an unrelated male enters the territory of a human male he is fed, sheltered, and entertained. These aren't learned behaviors or social standards, and neither are they expressions of affection. Just as the dominance of wolves can be estimated by the way they elevate their tales, so can the dominance of men be estimated by who pays for lunch. Like dominance displays of other species, human benevolence plays a
vital role in survival and reproduction. Leave behind the nonsense discussions
of altruism because there is no Samaritan paradox. We are brutal because
we are animals. We are benevolent because evolution favored it. |
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