causal
Altruism Cannot Evolve If Self-Sacrificing
Pure altruism that sacrifices the individual out of existence cannot evolve—because giving away all resources leaves no offspring to contribute to the gene pool—so Darwin was right that individuals must look out for themselves, but cooperation is not necessarily zero-sum and can be a win-win situation, which is the basis for the human version of cooperation.
causalpending
Speaker
Michael TomaselloEvidence Quote
“the definition of altruism is, that which cannot evolve”
Source
225 | Michael Tomasello on The Social Origins of Cognition and Agency— Sean Carroll's MindscapeCreated: 6/13/2026, 12:05:28 AM
My Notes
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