Biological and moral altruism

Camilo J. Cela Conde

pp. 143-151

in: Gonzalo Munvar (ed), Spanish studies in the philosophy of science, Berlin, Springer, 1996

Abstract

The interest shown by sociobiologists in examining the phenomena of altruism comes, as it is well known, from the paradoxical character of altruistic behavior. Although natural selection favors individual fitness, some beings (among which we find ants, rats and humans) perform acts that can be denominated as "altruistic" and that diminish their fitness, generally in favor of a relative's fitness.