--- joanna bujes <jbujes at covad.net> wrote:
> Altruism only needs to be "explained" if you assume
> that the world is an
> aggregate of (self-serving) individuals.
>
> Big assumption.
>
> Joanna
>
> Samuel Waite wrote:
>
> >Similar ideas are advanced in the book Unto Others:
>
> >The Evolution and Psychology of Unselfish Behavior
> by
> >Elliott Sober and David Sloan Wilson. I recommend
> it.
> >
> >I've avoided posting in the "Darwinian Left" thread
> >because I prefer to lurk and didn't want to get
> drawn
> >into a protracted debate with any Singer
> sympathizers.
> > The topic interests me a great deal, however, and
> I
> >try to keep abreast of current developments.
> >
> >Shortly after I first got involved with radical
> >politics, I became aware of what I came to call the
> >"human nature excuse" -- we can't have a more just,
> >free society because it's "against human nature".
> >Partly out of curiosity and partly out of a desire
> to
> >amass ammunition against such arguments, I started
> >spending a lot of time reading up on this stuff.
> >
> >My research led me to a great skepticism toward
> >biologistic explanations of human behavior, which I
> >maintain. I read The Blank Slate after being
> assured
> >by everyone from The Nation to the National Review
> >that it was the best possible case for biologism
> that
> >could be made. If this is true, then I can only
> >assume that in 20 years, most of what's now called
> >evolutionary psychology will have gone the way of
> the
> >dodo.
> >
> >One scholar whose reaction to that book was very
> >similar to my own is psychologist Hank Schlinger,
> >whose article "The Almost-Blank Slate: Making a
> Case
> >for Human Nurture" in the current issue of Skeptic
> I
> >also recommend.
> >
> >--- Kevin Robert Dean <qualiall at adelphia.net>
> wrote:
> >
> >
> >
> >>The sample this study used was small, so take it
> for
> >>what it's worth in these current discussions.
> >>
> >>Contact: Meg Sullivan
> >>megs at college.ucla.edu
> >>310-825-1046
> >>University of California - Los Angeles
> >>
> >>UCLA study points to evolutionary roots of
> altruism,
> >>moral outrage
> >>If you've ever been tempted to drop a friend who
> >>tended to freeload, then you have experienced a
> key
> >>to one of the biggest mysteries facing social
> >>scientists, suggests a study by UCLA
> >>anthropologists.
> >>"If the help and support of a community
> >>significantly affects the well-being of its
> members,
> >>then the threat of withdrawing that support can
> keep
> >>people in line and maintain social order," said
> >>Karthik Panchanathan, a UCLA graduate student
> whose
> >>study appears in Nature. "Our study offers an
> >>explanation of why people tend to contribute to
> the
> >>public good, like keeping the streets clean. Those
> >>who play by the rules and contribute to the public
> >>good will be included and outcompete freeloaders."
>
> >>
> >>This finding -- at least in part -- may help
> explain
> >>the evolutionary roots of altruism and human anger
> >>in the face of uncooperative behavior, both of
> which
> >>have long puzzled economists and evolutionary
> >>biologists, he said.
> >>
> >>"If you put two dogs together, and one dog does
> >>something inappropriate, the other dog doesn't
> care,
> >>so long as it doesn't get hurt," Panchanathan
> said.
> >>"It certainly wouldn't react with moralistic
> >>outrage. Likewise, it wouldn't experience elation
> if
> >>it saw one dog help out another dog. But humans
> are
> >>very different; we're the only animals that
> display
> >>these traits."
> >>
> >>The study, which uses evolutionary game theory to
> >>model human behavior in small social groups, is
> the
> >>first to show that cooperation in the context of
> the
> >>public good can be sustained when freeloaders are
> >>punished through social exclusion, said co-author
> >>Robert Boyd, a UCLA professor of anthropology and
> >>fellow associate in UCLA's Center for Behavior,
> >>Evolution and Culture.
> >>Full:
> >>
> >>
> >>
>
>http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2004-11/uoc--usp112404.php
> >
> >
> >>___________________________________
> >>
> >>
> >>
>
>http://mailman.lbo-talk.org/mailman/listinfo/lbo-talk
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >__________________________________
> >Do you Yahoo!?
> >Meet the all-new My Yahoo! - Try it today!
> >http://my.yahoo.com
> >
> >
> >___________________________________
>
>http://mailman.lbo-talk.org/mailman/listinfo/lbo-talk
> >
> >.
> >
> >
> >
>
>
> ___________________________________
>
http://mailman.lbo-talk.org/mailman/listinfo/lbo-talk
>
__________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com