Arguments Against Altruism

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Altruism and aggression are two forms of behavior presented in the natural world that characterize the social behavior of animal and human species. Specialists in the field of sociobiology utilize ethology to analyze the "underlying hereditary basis of [the] social behavior" of humans (Wilson 76). Altruism is the inherent component of human nature that conveys the readiness of human beings to sacrifice themselves for the greater good; our society praises such instances of self-sacrifice as courageous and honorable actions that bind human beings together. In an attempt to understand altruism, society mistakenly portrays aggression as its antithesis--an inherent instinct within humans to exert combative behavior. E.O. Wilson's tactic of drawing…show more content…
Vertebrate species exemplify minor altruism when one member will act in a way that benefits the whole species. Certain birds will emit warning calls to alert members to eminent danger within the area; the bird risks the predator finding its location in order to alarm others. Hunters within the chimpanzee population will allocate a portion of game to chimps who beg for morsels of meat. While highlighting the prevalence of minor altruism in nature, Wilson also argues that minor altruism is incomparable to the altruistic suicide of humans. Altruistic suicide is the idea that the intentional sacrifice of one's life for the greater good is heroic; insect species that mirror the altruistic suicide seen in human culture believe that the "suicide of an individual accomplishes more than it loses" (Wilson 80). Darwinian natural selection poses a counterargument to the inherence and importance of altruism in human nature. Darwin would argue self-sacrifice ends the possibility of passing genes and that natural selection favors selfish genes because they enable procreation. Wilson responds by attributing the persistence of altruism in human culture through the concept of kin selection: the person who sacrifices their life for their lives of their loved ones enables them to reproduce. Altruism represents the natural tendency of humans to commit actions that…show more content…
Wilson's book In Search of Nature, the author features the argument of Erich Fromm, which contends that humans have a "unique death instinct that often leads to pathological aggression" (Wilson 84). Wilson openly refutes the claim that humans have a propensity for antagonistic behavior. Aggression was a necessity for procreation, because species that employed such tactics survived and ensured the passage of their genes. However, there is not a primal drive to resort to violence. Wilson writes that oftentimes animals use aggression to protect territorial boundaries and compete with neighboring species for resources. Moreover, in comparison to other species, humans are undoubtedly less aggressive. For example, hyenas, lions, and langur monkeys engage in "lethal fighting, infanticide, and…cannibalism," at a rate that would be unprecedented and uncommon in human society (Wilson 85). Concerning aggression within human beings, Wilson attributes behavioral tendencies to environmental and societal factors. The level at which a human expresses aggression is an outcome of the environment in which they developed. A society characterized by patterns of predetermined gender roles that favor males, misconstrues aggression as a disdained, yet acceptable and inherent trait of human
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