It is but logical to think that man’s evolutionary history has given rise to a definitive evolutionary form of social behavior. According to Samuel Bowles of the Santa Fe Institute in New Mexico, the aspect of altruism may have likewise sprung from the eons of tribal warfare as the concept and act of personal sacrifice has become a determinant of competitive victory.

He says, “Warfare was sufficiently common and lethal among our ancestors to favour the evolution of what I call parochial altruism, a predisposition to be co-operative towards group members and hostile towards outsiders. Biologists and economists have doubted that a genetic predisposition to behave altruistically – to help others at a cost to oneself – could evolve, excepting the help extended to close genetic relatives.” Scientists have computed this evolution of altruism as spanning more than 200,000 years of conflict.

In his study published in the journal Science, Dr. Bowles suggests that ‘natural selection worked on groups of people co-operating together, rather than just individuals.’ The ‘altruistic warrior’ theory, according to him, may explain the development of the concept of altruism in early human societies. He says, “[The] willingness to take mortal risks as a fighter is not the only form of altruism… more altruistic and hence more co-operative groups may be more productive and sustain healthier, stronger, or more numerous members, for example, or make more effective use of information.”

Via The Independent