Altruism and evolutionary pahway. A review on the evolution of altruistic behaviour

Abstract

Abstract.-Since the brave attempts to bring Biology to the center of the social sciences discourse, by Edward Wilson and Richard Dawkins with their books Sociobiology and The Selfish Gene, more than forty years ago, Biology has gained recognition as one of the, if not the, main area in the search for human behavior understanding. Disciplines such as behavioral genetics, cognitive neuroscience, and evolutionary psychology among others have been brought to the center of the spectacle in the quest for the understanding of the mind and the influence of those areas is growing every day. Within this perspective this article brings attention to how the problem of understanding human altruism could be better comprehended with the addition of the information brought by the biological disciplines involved in the understanding of human behavior.

Altruistic behaviors and cooperation among gifted adolescents

“…During the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, this viewpoint gave rise to several theories to explain altruism, including parental selection and reciprocal altruism. Nonetheless, researchers in major psychology and behavior genetics are still attempting to shed light on altruism, and a substantial amount of knowledge has been produced in the process of comprehending our altruistic behavior (Perez Bernardes de Moraes and Dos Santos Millani, 2014 ).…”

“…Altruism and moral behavior in the context of other animals has enriched our perception of such phenomena, as we can observe similarities between our and their moral behavior, especially regarding the three pillars upon which altruistic behavior is founded in the animal kingdom, including human altruism. These three pillars are as follows: (1) selection of kin, (2) mutual altruism, and (3) fitness metric (Perez Bernardes de Moraes and Dos Santos Millani, 2014 ).…”

“…Within groups of humans, observers can always see hierarchy developing, particularly in the division of labor between males and females. Humans have a more egalitarian hierarchical stratification than other primates, especially when compared to chimps, our closest relatives (Wright, 1997 ; De Waal et al, 2000 ; de Waal, 2001 ; Fuentes, 2006 ; Perez Bernardes de Moraes and Dos Santos Millani, 2014 ). Altruistic behavior can be extremely beneficial in this context of defined hierarchy, not only reciprocally, but also by demonstrating to the group the abilities that an individual possesses that may be of group interest, resulting in increased social status, sex, resources, and other conceivable social benefits for that individual.…”