Quoting Fred Foldvary <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>: > --- Marko Paunovic <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > I can't really see a situation where decision not to have children is > > good for your genes. > > What matters for evolution is the propagation of the species, not > individuals. So if most individuals have children, but some choose to > enhance the welfare of others by avoiding having children, that overall can > help the species flourish and reproduce. >
Yes, it could help the species. However, my genes don't care about the well- being of the species. They care about themselves. What is good for the species is not necesarily good for my genes. I guess one could even argue that by helping the other members of the species you are hurting yourself because you are increasing competition for limited resources. The only exemption, as I already mentioned, is caring for relatives. The situation is analogous to the public good problem. If I did something good, it would help everyone, but probably harm me. That is why I will not do it at all. Again, the only exemption are the people I care about, which are usually memebers of my family and for whom I am willing to sacrifice.
