Reciprocal Altruism
When discussing human behavior, altruism is always a topic that comes into questioning. Some people say that it is simply a human instinct, while others argue that it is imbedded into us genetically. Biology Professor Robert T. Trivers of Rutgers University states that altruistic behavior is, “behavior that benefits another organism, not closely related, while being apparently detrimental to the organism performing the behavior, benefit and detriment being defined in terms of contribution to inclusive fitness” (39). Arguably, if a human runs into a building that is on fire to save a non-related human, it can be seen as an act of instinct, but if a human runs into that same fire to save one of his or her offspring, they are said to be saving there genes. Is there a genetic bond, or is it simply apart of human nature to risk a life to save a life?
During Trivers study The Evolution of Reciprocal Altruism; he discusses three instances of altruistic behavior. The first is the behavior involved in cleaning symbioses, the second discusses the warning cries in birds, and the third and final instance discusses human reciprocal altruism. The focus of his study is to prove how kin selection, which is the altruistic behaviors that increase the donor’s inclusive fitness, that is, the fitness of the donor’s relatives, can be the reason for altruistic acts, but he also mentions how kin selection can be ruled out when people perform acts of altruism for those that they do not know. His model includes altruistic behavior of organisms of different groups, and he sheds light on how helping others will not only benefit the organism in need, but the organism performing the act as well.
One concern that our group had was, scientist try to create an explanation for everything, why can’t altruism simply be an act that organisms commit because they genuinely care, rather than something that has to be for the benefit of their species? Evolutionary Biology Professor Richard Dawkins, formerly of Oxford University, provides somewhat of an answer to our question by explaining the idea of selfish genes and how they relate to reciprocal altruism in this short video.
He explains how genetically, organisms commit altruistic acts because of kin selection and the idea of survival of the fittest, which essentially means the survival of genes. But unlike Dawkins, Trivers gives an example on how organisms without kin selection work together in order to benefit one another. In his example of cleaning symbioses, the symbiotic relationship may be categorized as mutual, commensal, or parasitic in nature. In each instance, the relationship between the different organisms proves that a genetic bond between organisms is not needed in order to commit altruistic acts.
When looking at warning calls in birds, this altruistic behavior is only used to protect one’s mate, offspring, or another bird very close in kin. This goes back to the idea of saving ones genes, and even though the two parent birds are not directly related, it is beneficial for both the mates to survive in order to produce more offspring. Trivers also explains that if a bird does not use a warning call for other non-related birds, it could be a disadvantage to that bird. If a predator eats a near by bird, it is more likely to eat him as well. There for altruistic behavior can be beneficial to both the organism performing the act, and the recipient receiving the help.
With the example of altruism in other organisms, human reciprocal altruism provides an insight as to why some organisms might lower their chances of “fitness” in order to increase the “fitness” of another. Kin selection can be the answer as to why some people risk their lives in order to save family members, or their genes, but this is not the case for all acts of altruism. Some people commit these acts of kindness in order to gain favors from those of whom they help, it is kind of like the motto, “you scratch my back, and I will scratch yours.” According to Trivers, reciprocity is more expected from kin than non-kin due to the genetic bonds, but not all acts of altruism have to be for the benefit of a species. So is this act of human behavior simply done in order to increase the “fitness” of an organism, or can it be said that people commit these acts out of the kindness of their hearts?
Works Cited
Trivers, Robert L. "The Evolution of Reciprocal Altruism." Quarterly Review of Biology 46.1 (1971): 35-57. JSTOR. The University of Chicago Press, 7 Apr. 2008. Web. 27 Mar. 2011. <http://www.jstor.org/stable/2822435>.
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