Evolutionary biologists call this the problem of altruism, and it’s occupied many of the greatest thinkers of the field. At one time, the problem looked intractable; today, however, we’ve got a powerful arsenal of theories aimed at explaining the evolution of altruistic behavior. Arguably the most important – and certainly the one most applicable to the case of Jordan Rice – was the brainchild of the British biologist William D. Hamilton. Hamilton’s breakthrough is now known as kin selection theory, and it offers an explanation for one important type of altruism: altruism toward one’s genetic relatives. (View Highlight)
any gene that contributes to the development of a tendency to help one’s relatives has a better than average chance of being located as well in the recipients of that help. As a result, by helping one’s relatives to survive and reproduce, one can indirectly help to spread the genes that gave rise to that very tendency (View Highlight)
the importance of kinship appears to be a human universal. Wherever in the world we look, people’s affinity for kin stands out like a sore thumb (View Highlight)
the fact that a trait is universal doesn’t necessarily mean it has an evolutionary origin; if it did, we’d have to conclude that drinking Coca Cola and using smartphones are products of natural selection (View Highlight)
The kibbutzim were founded on radical socialist principles, and the founders sought to eliminate supposedly “bourgeois” traditions such as parents caring exclusively for their own biological children. To that end, kibbutz children were housed together in large communal quarters, rather than shacking up with their parents. But although this looked fine on paper, in practice it rapidly disintegrated. Parents hated it, and before too long started insisting that their children live with them. Some of the kibbutz men resisted for a while, but eventually they had to give in. Thus, rather than being a product of social pressure, the tendency to favor one’s kin survived even in spite of significant social pressure against it (View Highlight)