7/25/2019 Selfless Gene Paper 2 Final Final

1/2

Enerolisa Paredes

ENG 111

Prof. Bryant

The Selfless Gene

In "The Selfless Gene," Olivia Judson's fundaental !oint is to deonstrate ho

altruisti# $ehavior is soethin% that is not ada!ted, $ut rather is an in$orn hereditary#hara#teristi#. &hen talin% a$out selflessness in ters of ho anials $ehave and

#onfor to their nors, it is soehat instin#tual to assue that selflessness is a %ene that

is #arried don fro %eneration to %eneration. In the #ase of huans, selflessness is oreof a #o!le( ter, si!ly $e#ause e are #o!le( #reatures. )ltruis is soethin% that is

soeties a!!lauded in so#iety, $ut it #an also $e asso#iated ith stu!idity. It is huan

nature to evaluate the #ir#ustan#es that surrounds us. &e are evolutionarily desi%ned to

steer aay fro dan%er in si%ht of self*!reservation. )s intelli%ent #reatures, e have the#a!a$ility of overritin% this desire if the situation !resents us ith the need of $ein%

selfless. Even thou%h Judson #onsiders altruis to $e hereditary, there are reasons to

$elieve that environental and edu#ational fa#tors, as ell as oral !rin#i!les, sha!e it.

Judson s!eas of &illia +onald ailton, a develo!ental resear#her ho

asserted that the -ualities that e(!ress selflessness are o$served in %atherin%s of #reaturesthat live to%ether. e illustrated this !oint $y e(!lainin% ho $ees defend their hive $y

sa#rifi#in% their on lives. e also added ho soe anials hel! other offs!rin%s instead

of havin% soe of their on. The altruisti# $ehavior des#ri$ed a$ove #an also $e o$servedin huans as de!i#ted in the story The Birkenhead. In the story, a shi! started to sin after

hittin% a ro# near South )fri#a in 1/0. &ith only three life$oats for over si( hundred

!assen%ers, seven of hi#h ere oen and thirteen #hildren, the ale sailors e(!ressed

their altruisti# $ehavior $y savin% oen and #hildren first, des!ite noin% that their onlives ere at ris. The -uestion ould arise if this as the a#tivation of altruisti# %enes in

the fa#e of dan%er, or if the u!$rin%in% of the heroes had an i!a#t in their de#ision to

sa#rifi#e their on lives, ust lie the $ees. The environent in hi#h e %ro u!, as ellour faily and friends, !lay an i!ortant role in the develo!ent of a fun#tional individual.

2riends have a lot of influen#e on $ehaviors and attitudes of their !artners. 2ro stron%

friendshi!s, !eo!le learn hat it eans to tae #are of, and orry a$out soeone else3sell$ein%, even if e are not dire#tly related or roanti#ally involved ith. No$ody nos

hat a friend is #a!a$le of doin% for their #o!anion. )lso, altruisti# !arents transfer their

$ehavior to #hildren $y !ra#ti#in% and reinfor#in% the i!ortan#e of $ein% selfless ith

those that are in need. In the #ase of the sailors, it #ould $e ar%ued that if their environenthad a stron% e!hasis on $ein% altruisti# durin% their u!$rin%in%, they ould feel ore

#o!elled to aid those in need, disre%ardin% their on ell$ein%.

)s entioned earlier, Judson !resents a thou%ht of ailton that lays out the

fundaental need of #reatures to survive. The idea of in sele#tion e(!lains hy anials

%ather as one and stru#ture their on !arti#ular %rou!. Judson utili4es the e(a!le of#onfority and ho it has evolved in huans so that a !erson #an fit in a %rou! and ada!t

to its nors and #ustos. One of the e(a!les used to illustrate this !oint is that of the

7/25/2019 Selfless Gene Paper 2 Final Final

2/2

a%%ressive $a$oons. These #reatures ere non for their territorial anneris and

a%%ressiveness. oever, due to an event in hi#h the ore a%%ressive of the s!e#ies ate#ontainated food, the s!e#ies su##u$ed to a less a%%ressive state, as only the less

a%%ressive $a$oons survived. )s a #onse-uen#e, the $ehavior that !revailed as of a

elloer attitude. In the #ase of edu#ation, !arental #are and tea#hin%s fro !rofessors

for an i!ortant !art on survival and evolutionary advanta%e, as they selflessly !rovidefor a %rou!. Throu%h edu#ation, the nors of a #ivili4ed and safe #ounity are learned

and !assed don to neer %enerations. Parents invest ener%y #arin% for and tea#hin% these

$ehaviors to their offs!rin% $e#ause it in#reases survival of the !arent3s %enes. Professorsalso reinfor#e this tea#hin% $y develo!in% stron% relationshi!s ith their students,

influen#in% their $ehavior.

&hen Judson turns her ar%uent toards su!!ortin% the !resen#e of a selfless %ene in

!eo!le, she #o!ares our a#tivities to those of #hi!an4ees, our #oon relatives. She

says that #hi!an4ees in a %rou! have ales that at#h its %rou! and even atta#

nei%h$orin% re%ions to %uarantee safety. 56hi!an4ees have to i!ortant sour#es of!reature death at the hands of other #hi!an4ees7 they ay $e urdered $y e$ers of

their on #ounity, or they ay $e illed durin% en#ounters ith or%ani4ed $ands of

hostile nei%h$ors.8 Peo!le a#t in #o!arative ays. &e have %atherin%s of individuals, fore(a!le the National Guard, that ee! our $orders safe and shield us fro intruders, hile

other ilitary yield their lives to se#ure our %rou!s and us. This is a re!resentation of

$enevolent #ondu#t, !arti#ularly s!eain% of the individuals ho intentionally enroll in theilitary. This #oes ith the oral !rin#i!les that have $een !reviously instilled in a

!erson. 9orality refers to the #ultural e(!e#tations in re%ards to hat is %ood or $ad: ri%ht

or ron%. ;tili4in% the #hi!an4ees as an e(a!le, tain% another anials life is seen asan altruisti# $ehavior. They are #arin% for their youn%, !reservin% the -uality of their %enes.

&hen it #oes to huans, is it ri%ht to tae other !eo!les3 lives< If e a!!ly the sae

!rin#i!le as the siians it ould de!end. 9orality is a su$e#tive -uality: individuals

$eyond any dou$t have solid #onvi#tions a$out hat's %ood and $ad. oever, des!ite thefa#t that ethi#s #an #han%e fro individual to individual and so#iety to #ulture, if !resented

ith the sae situation in hi#h e need to ee! our offs!rin%3s safe, our !ers!e#tive

ould see a shift and altruis i%ht set in.

Given these !oints, Judson understandin% of altruisti# $ehavior is soethin% that is not

fi(ed, rather, it is a #on%loeration of tea#hin%s and lessons #arried don throu%h life.There are other eleents to tae into #onsideration, su#h as the environent in hi#h the

!erson develo!s, the learned oral !rin#i!les and the nature of huan $ein%s.