[lbo-talk] Altruism & Evolution?

[Michael Dawson]

> But how do we "demonstrate" either of these points?  Justin has made
> this point before: sure, we can create a just-so group selection
> story to explain how altruism persists, but that does not meet the
> threshold of scientific evidence in even "soft" sciences like
> psychology.  For instance, if I want to study the effects of
> cognitive behavioral therapy on anxiety disorders, I can
> set up a rigorous experimental study to assess the claim that
> cognitive behavioral therapy reduces anxiety symptoms.
> 
> In contrast, making up just-so stories is speculation, not
> scientific research.  And the statistical modelling does not
> resolve the problem: demonstrating that altruism could be
> produced via natural selection is not compelling evidence that
> it actually was produced via natural selection in human history.
> 
> The question of whether or not altruism is an essential
> component of human nature is an interesting philosophical
> question.  However, I see no way of testing it empirically,
> so it's not a scientific question.
> 
> Miles

And this, too:  Who can doubt that altruism is one of the potentials we homo
sapiens can emphasize, and that doing so is pretty vital to our future as a
species?  Who cares where it came from?  It's here, so let's use it!