>From: Sam Pawlett <rsp at uniserve.com>
>Reply-To: lbo-talk at lists.panix.com
>To: lbo-talk at lists.panix.com
>Subject: Re: Survivor!
>Date: Tue, 31 Oct 2000 11:34:18 -0800
>
>
>
>Justin Schwartz wrote:
> >
> > >
> > So if you will, here is a concession: there is no reason that I can give
>a
> > stone egoist to care about anyone else--no internal reason, that is.
>
>[way behind on mail-SP]
>
>Sure there is but it requires group selection and adaptation at the
>group level. As you, Justin, have hinted at there is no way out of the
>impasse of altruism vs. egotism, at least philosophically. The answer
> lies in evolutionary biology and was provided by Darwin:
>
>"It must not be forgotten that although a high standard of morality
>gives but a slight advantage to each individual man and his children
>over the other men of the same tribe, yet that an increase in the number
>of well-endowed men and advancement in the standard of morality will
>certainly give an immense advantage to one tribe over another. There can
>be no doubt that a tribe including many members who, from possessing in
>a high degree the spirit of patriotism, fidelity, obedience, courage and
>sympathy, were always ready to aid one another, and to sacrifice
>themselves for the common good, would be victorious over most other
>tribes; and this would be natural selection. At all times throughout the
>world tribes have supplanted other tribes; and as morality is one
>important element in their success, the standard of morality and the
>number of well-endowed men will thus everywhere tend to rise and
>increase." Descent of Man.
>
>That is, groups of altruists or even reciprocal altruists replace(i.e.
>eliminate through natural selection) groups of egoists provided that
>group selectionist pressures are stronger than individual selection
>pressures. *Unto Others* by Sober and Wilson is the locus classicus in
>the philosophical, psychological and biological refutation of egoism and
>individualism.
>
>Sam Pawlett
_________________________________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free E-mail from MSN Hotmail at http://www.hotmail.com.
Share information about yourself, create your own public profile at http://profiles.msn.com.