Altruistic behavior exists - saying it doesn't is simply doing what you have accused Matt of doing. Its an area in psych research that's been around for a while. calling it Altruism or Phred or whatever doesn't change things at all, its a set of pro-social behaviors that may some cross species basis.
larry On 3/3/06, Loathe <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > Altruism is crap. > > It doesn't exist. Self interest at some level guides everything we do. > > -- > Tim Heald > [EMAIL PROTECTED] > 703-300-3911 > -----Original Message----- > From: Larry C. Lyons [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] > Sent: Friday, March 03, 2006 4:29 PM > To: CF-Community > Subject: FW: Human infants and chimps share altruistic behaviors, but humans > moreso > > At the risk of having those who are against evolution getting upset again, I > found this evolutionary psychology study quite interesting. > > http://www.antiwrap.com/?917 > > Have we come a long way, baby? > Study suggests humans and chimps share ancient urge to be helpful, but > humans more so > > BY BRYN NELSON > STAFF WRITER > > March 3, 2006 > > As young role models of human altruism, 18-month-old toddlers will readily > help a needy stranger, according to new research. But these diaper-clad Good > Samaritans may share a few traits with young chimpanzees, scientists say, > offering new hints that our common ancestors possessed the early > underpinnings of human courtesy and cooperation. > > In separate experiments, toddlers and chimps both returned an object dropped > "accidentally," such as a clothespin, marker or lid, but not if a researcher > let go of it on purpose. > > "It is definitely more surprising that we found this in chimpanzees," > said Felix Warneken, a study co-author and doctoral student in developmental > psychology at the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology in > Leipzig, Germany. > > Scientists have long puzzled over the evolutionary basis of our altruism, > while our closest primate relatives have received a bad rap for their > supposedly selfish ways. But Warneken said past research on altruism with > the notoriously competitive chimpanzees has involved both food and fellow > chimps. > > By eliminating food as a goal or reward in his group's research, published > today in the journal Science, perhaps the chimps would be in the right > mindset for any natural helpfulness to appear spontaneously. > > To the group's surprise, the three young chimps in the study were indeed > willing to help their caretaker when she was clearly reaching for something. > > Most of the 24 human toddlers in their study were far more altruistic, > however, assisting a stranger struggling with more complicated tasks such as > stacking books or opening a door. > > "Children and chimpanzees are both willing to help," Warneken and his > co-authors write, "but they appear to differ in their ability to interpret > the other's need for help in different situations." > > In a companion study, Alicia Melis and colleagues at the same institute in > Leipzig found that chimpanzees will pick a partner best suited to help them > pull two ends of a rope to slide trays of food within reach. > > Although cooperation in the animal kingdom is nothing new, "we've never seen > this level of understanding during cooperation in any other animals except > humans," Melis said in an accompanying news release. > > In the experiments, chimps opened the adjoining cage door of an unrelated > chimp only when they couldn't reach both rope ends on their own. > Furthermore, they tended to choose the more cooperative chimp, based on > experience. > > Both studies suggest the precursors for altruism and collaboration were in > place well before our evolutionary split with chimpanzees some > 6 million years ago. But chimp charity apparently only goes so far. > > "Human altruism is thought to be based, in part, on empathy," said UCLA > anthropologist Joan Silk in an e-mail. "To be empathetic, you need to > understand the thoughts and desires of others." Silk's own studies suggest > that chimp empathy is in short supply when it comes to food-based altruistic > acts, even if they entail no sacrifice. > > Somewhere along the line, humans became considerably more helpful than other > primates, Silk said, but understanding that divergence will only come with > more research. > > Copyright 2006 Newsday Inc. > > -- > Your representative owes you, not his industry only, but his judgment; and > he betrays instead of serving you if he sacrifices it to your opinion. > > Edmond Burke > > > > ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~| Message: http://www.houseoffusion.com/lists.cfm/link=i:5:198838 Archives: http://www.houseoffusion.com/cf_lists/threads.cfm/5 Subscription: http://www.houseoffusion.com/lists.cfm/link=s:5 Unsubscribe: http://www.houseoffusion.com/cf_lists/unsubscribe.cfm?user=89.70.5 Donations & Support: http://www.houseoffusion.com/tiny.cfm/54
