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 Tomasello

Evidence Quote

the definition of altruism is, that which cannot evolve

Source

225 | Michael Tomasello on The Social Origins of Cognition and AgencySean Carroll's Mindscape
Created: 6/13/2026, 12:05:28 AM

My Notes

Loading notes...